miR-31 ameliorates type 2 diabetic vascular damage through up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α/vascular endothelial growth factor-A

Clinical value of serum miR-214-3p expression in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus and prediction of its chronic complications

BACKGROUND

The majority of diabetes cases fall into type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which is prone to chronic complications that have a long-term impact on patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic potential of miR-214-3p in T2DM and its predictive value for chronic complications, providing a novel biomarker for the disease.

METHODS

A total of 156 patients with T2DM and 80 non-T2DM individuals were included. Serum miR-214-3p levels were measured by real-time reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The correlation of miR-214-3p with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was analyzed by Spearman's rank correlation. The clinical value of miR-214-3p in T2DM was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The serum levels of miR-214-3p were decreased in T2DM patients compared to non-T2DM individuals. A negative correlation was identified between miR-214-3p expression and the levels of HbA1c and LDL-C. miR-214-3p could effectively differentiate T2DM patients from non-T2DM individuals with the area under ROC curve (AUC) of 0.884. Patients with low miR-214-3p expression had a higher incidence of chronic complications. The AUC for miR-214-3p in differentiating between T2DM patients with and without complications was 0.832. Low expression of miR-214-3p was a risk factor linked to the development of chronic complications in patients with T2DM.

CONCLUSION

Serum miR-214-3p was downregulated in T2DM and could differentiate T2DM patients from non-T2DM individuals. miR-214-3p was a promising biomarker for predicting the chronic complications of T2DM.

Noncoding RNAs and diabetic kidney disease

In both human clinical and animal experimental studies, the altered expression of regulatory RNAs such as miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs are reported in diabetes and its complications by investigating various samples of serum, plasma, whole blood, and tissues. These identified ncRNAs are candidates for the disease diagnostic markers, prognostic markers, and also therapeutic targets. In the updates, the recently published ncRNAs involved in the onset and progression of DKD are discussed.

RNA therapeutics for treatment of diabetes

Diabetes is an ongoing global problem as it affects health of more than 537 million people around the world. Diabetes leaves many serious complications that affect patients and can cause death if not detected and treated promptly. Some of the complications of diabetes include impaired vascular system, increased risk of stroke, neurological diseases that cause pain and numbness, diseases related to the retina leading to blindness, and other complications affecting kidneys, heart failure, muscle weakness, muscle atrophy. All complications of diabetes seriously affect the health of patients. Recently, gene therapy has emerged as a viable treatment strategy for various diseases. DNA and RNA are among the target molecules that can change the structure and function of proteins and are effective methods of treating diseases, especially genetically inherited diseases. RNA therapeutics has attracted deep interest as it has been approved for application in the treatment of functional system disorders such as spinal muscular atrophy, and muscular dystrophy. In this review, we cover the types of RNA therapies considered for treatment of diabetes. In particular, we delve into the mechanism of action of RNA therapies for diabetes, and studies involving testing of these RNA therapies. Finally, we have highlighted the limitations of the current understanding in the mechanism of action of RNA therapies.