Circulating hsa-miR-221 as a possible diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of diabetic nephropathy

Abstract

Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN), which is a chronic outcome of diabetes mellitus (DM), usually progresses to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The DN pathophysiology, nevertheless, is not well-defined. Several miRNAs were reported to be either risk or protective factors in DN. Methods, and results The present study sought to inspect the potential diagnostic and prognostic value of hsa-miR-221 in DN. The study included 200 participants divided into four groups: Group 1 (50 patients with DN), Group 2 (50 diabetic patients without nephropathy), Group 3 (50 nondiabetic patients with CKD), and Group 4 (50 healthy subjects as a control group). Patients in groups 1 and 3 were further classified based on the presence of macroalbuminuria and microalbuminuria. Hsa-miR-221 expression was measured by RT- qRT-PCR. DN patients had significantly elevated serum hsa-miR-221 levels than the other groups, while diabetic patients without nephropathy exhibited elevated levels compared to both nondiabetic patients with CKD, and the control group. The DN patients with macroalbuminuria revealed significantly higher mean values of hsa-miR-221 relative to the patients with microalbuminuria. Significant positive associations were observed in the DN group between serum hsa-miR-221 and fasting insulin, fasting glucose, HOMA IR, ACR, and BMI. The ROC curve analysis of serum hsa-miR-221 in the initial diagnosis of DN in DM revealed high specificity and sensitivity. Conclusions It is concluded that hsa-miR-221 has the potential to be a useful biomarker for prognostic and diagnostic purposes in DN.

Identification of novel prognostic targets in acute kidney injury using bioinformatics and next generation sequencing data analysis

“…VCAM1 [243] was related to the early-onset of hypercholesterolemia. The expression pattern of VCAM1 [660], MME (membrane metalloendopeptidase) [642], AGTR1 [85], hsa-mir-221 [813], YY1 [814] and PDX1 [815] might offer useful information for treating diabetic nephropathy. VCAM1 [752], STAT3 [816] and BRCA1 [817] have been used as an independent biomarker to predict prognosis in patients with anemia.…”