Background: Circulating microRNA 130b has been closely associated with multiple diseases in humans such as cancer, obesity and diabetes mellitus. This study evaluates the correlation between serum miR-130b and the severity of diabetic nephropathy evaluated by measurement of albuminuria.
Methods: Three hundred twenty-seven patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were divided into three groups: normoalbuminuria group [diabetes mellitus, urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (UACR) < 30 mg/g, n = 137], microalbuminuria group (DN1, UACR 30-300 mg/g, n = 122) and macroalbuminuria group (DN2, UACR > 300 mg/g, n = 68). The levels of serum miR-130b were validated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Serum transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and fibronectin were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: Compared with control, serum miR-130b levels were significantly decreased in T2DM patients and further decreased in the patients of diabetes mellitus, DN1 and DN2 groups (p < 0.001). Furthermore, age-adjusted and sex-adjusted regression analyses showed that decreased level of serum miR-130b, increased levels of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c ), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), TGF-β1, HIF-1α and fibronectin were significantly correlated with UACR (p < 0.05). In addition, serum miR-130b levels were inversely correlated with HbA1c , HOMA-IR, TG, LDL, BUN, TGF-β1, HIF-1α and FN (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that serum miR-130b may be a new biomarker for the early diagnosis of DN in T2DM. Circulating miR-130b may possibly be involved in the pathological mechanism of DN, such as lipid metabolic disorders, oxidative stress, extracellular matrix deposition and renal fibrosis.
Keywords: albuminuria; circulating miR-130b; diabetic nephropathy; type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.