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Trotta MC, Gesualdo C, Platania CBM, De Robertis D, Giordano M, Simonelli F, D'Amico M, Drago F, Bucolo C, Rossi S. Circulating miRNAs in diabetic retinopathy patients: Prognostic markers or pharmacological targets? Biochem Pharmacol 2021; 186:114473. [PMID: 33607073 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In this study we analyzed the expression of circulating miRNAs, in the serum of diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients. Five miRNAs (hsa-miR-195-5p, hsa-miR-20a-5p, hsa-miR-20b-5p, hsa-miR-27b-3p and hsa-miR-451a) were validated as biomarkers for stratification of DR stages, from the early non-proliferative (NPDR) to the late proliferative (PDR) phase. Furthermore, circulating levels of these miRNAs correlated with retinal hyper-reflective spots (HRS), assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The number of HRS increased with worsening of DR stages. On the contrary, no significant vascular density differences between NPDR and PDR patients were detected by angio-OCT (OCTA). A post-hoc bioinformatics analysis associated these five miRNAs to target genes belonging to the "Tumor Necrosis Factor alfa signaling" pathway, and several molecules were predicted to modify miRNAs expression. In conclusion, correlation between specific circulating miRNAs and intraretinal hyper-reflective spots was demonstrated, confirming that these miRNAs were validated as prognostic biomarkers, and also as potential pharmacological targets, warranting further clinical evaluation to explore novel therapeutics for diabetic retinopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Consiglia Trotta
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Carlo Gesualdo
- Multidisciplinary Department of Medical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Chiara Bianca Maria Platania
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Domenico De Robertis
- Multidisciplinary Department of Medical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Mauro Giordano
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Francesca Simonelli
- Multidisciplinary Department of Medical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Michele D'Amico
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Division of Pharmacology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Filippo Drago
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; Center for Research in Ocular Pharmacology, CERFO, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Claudio Bucolo
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; Center for Research in Ocular Pharmacology, CERFO, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
| | - Settimio Rossi
- Multidisciplinary Department of Medical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
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