Novel methods to identify TCM constitution of hyperlipidemic patients and predict atherosclerotic diseases

Hyperlipidemia can accelerate the progression of atherosclerosis, ultimately leading to cardiovascular disease. TCM constitution has been widely used as an indicator of health status and susceptibility to diseases. However, there still lack of objective, credible ways to identify TCM constitution of hyperlipidemic patients, and the connection between TCM constitution and atherosclerotic diseases in individuals with hyperlipidemia is unknown. This study aims to identify differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) as biomarkers of the TCM constitution of hyperlipidemic patients and explore the potential connection between TCM constitution and atherosclerotic diseases. In the study, we randomly recruited 10 hyperlipidemic patients with asthenic constitution (HAC), 10 hyperlipidemic patients with strong constitution (HSC), and 10 hyperlipidemic patients with normal constitution (HNC) and collected serum miRNA. After analyzing the miRNA expression profiles, we found that hsa-miR-338-3p may be a potential blood biomarker for the identification of the TCM constitution of hyperlipidemic patients. Moreover, the HSC classification is likely a cardiocerebrovascular disease predisposition and is closely related to the inflammatory process and glucose and lipid metabolism, which contribute to the development of atherosclerotic diseases. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. * TCM : traditional Chinese medicine DEMs : microRNAs DEMs : differentially expressed miRNAs HAC : hyperlipidemic patients with asthenic constitution HSC : hyperlipidemic patients with strong constitution HNC : 10 hyperlipidemic patients with normal constitution ROC : receiver operating characteristic LDL-C : low-density lipoprotein cholesterol CHD : coronary heart disease HLP : hyperlipidemia TC : total cholesterol TG : triglyceride nonHDL-C : nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol HDL-C : high-density lipoprotein cholesterol CT : threshold cycle SEM : standard error of the mean GO : Gene Ontology KEGG : Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes PCA : principal component analysis BMI : body mass index FT3 : free triiodothyronine FT4 : free thyroxine PCT : procalcitonin WBC : white blood cell count RBC : red blood cell count PLT : platelet count TSH : thyroid stimulating hormone TSTO : testosterone Hs-CRP : high-sensitivity C-reactive protein eGFR : glomerular filtration rate Hb : hemoglobin UA : uric acid GLU : glucose hsa : Homo sapiens miR : microRNA ROC : receiver operating characteristic AUC : area under the curve VEGF : vascular endothelial growth factor TRP : transient receptor potential cAMP : cyclic adenosine monophosphate