Circulating miR-223 and NLRP3 expression and their discriminatory performance in acute ischemic stroke

Introduction Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a major cause of mortality and disability. Inflammation contributes to ischemic brain injury, and circulating miR-223 and NLRP3 may reflect inflammatory responses. This study evaluated their expression and diagnostic performance in AIS.Methods In this case–control study, serum samples were obtained from 45 patients with AIS and 45 healthy controls. Patient blood samples were collected within 24 hours of hospitalization. miR-223 and NLRP3 expression were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR. Spearman correlation, ROC analysis, and multivariable logistic regression were performed.Results Circulating miR-223 and NLRP3 expression levels were significantly higher in AIS than in healthy controls (both p < 0.0001). ROC analysis showed AUCs of 0.9704 for NLRP3 and 0.8953 for miR-223. In multivariable logistic regression including age, gender, creatinine, miR-223, and NLRP3, NLRP3 was independently associated with AIS (adjusted OR = 0.569, 95% CI: 0.394–0.822, p = 0.003), whereas miR-223 was not (adjusted OR = 0.943, 95% CI: 0.638–1.395, p = 0.769). Age, gender, and creatinine were not independently associated with AIS.Conclusion miR-223 and NLRP3 showed significant differences and discriminatory performance in AIS. NLRP3 was independently associated with AIS, whereas miR-223 was not. Prospective validation is needed.