Evaluation of microRNA-192 in patients with diabetic nephropathy

Abstract

Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of kidney failure. The role of microRNAs (miRs) which are endogenous RNA oligonucleotides that regulate gene expression in DN is not yet clearly established. This study was designed to evaluate the blood level of miR-192 and its relation to disease severity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with and without DN evidenced by the presence of albuminuria. Materials and methods The study included 60 patients (37 women and 23 men) with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 20 healthy control participants. All were subjected to thorough history taking, clinical evaluation and measurement of glycosylated hemoglobin, creatinine and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio. miR-192 was quantified in blood using reverse transcription TaqMan microRNA assay. Results The study showed that the miR-192 levels were significantly higher in patients with lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and higher albumin/creatinine ratio. Conclusion These findings may help to find a new marker for early detection of DN and this could be used in the future as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of DN.

Keywords

• albuminuria
• diabetic nephropathy
• microRNA-192
• type 2 diabetes mellitus