High expression of lncRNA MALAT1 is associated with decreased insulin secretion under hyperglycemic stress in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 in patients with T2DM and its clinical significance. A total of 25 normal controls and 69 patients with T2DM were selected. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the expression level of lncRNA MALAT1 in blood leukocytes of the two groups. The expression level of lncRNA MALAT1 in patients with T2DM was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.001). The binary regression analysis revealed that lncRNA MALAT1 (p < 0.001, OR = 11.667) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (p = 0.018, OR = 0.958) were the risk factors for the onset of T2DM. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the expression level of lncRNA MALAT1 correlated positively with cortisol (8 AM), hemoglobin, and blood glucose levels (60, 120, and 180 min) and negatively with SOD and insulin levels after 60 min in the oral glucose tolerance test. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) results demonstrated that the area under the curve of ROC was 0.804, sensitivity was 78.3%, and specificity was 84% (p < 0.001). LncRNA MALAT1 was highly expressed in patients with T2DM, and high expression of lncRNA MALAT1 is associated with decreased insulin secretion under hyperglycemic stress.