Plasma microRNA-192 expression as a potential biomarker of diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Background. Albuminuria is an early clinical indicator of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, it has several limitations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the plasma microRNA-192 (miRNA-192) expression and its diagnostic performance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and DKD. Methods. In this case-control study, 75 subjects were included into 3 groups: group (1): 20 patients with T2DM and UACR (urinary albumin creatinine ratio) < 30 mg/gm, group (2): 30 patients with T2DM and ACR ≥ 30 mg/gm, and group (3): 25 healthy controls. Patients were recruited from the outpatient clinic of the Diabetes unit at our institution. Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR was used to assess plasma miRNA-192 expression. Results. Plasma miRNA-192 was significantly higher in T2DM patients with DKD compared to those with normal UAE. Additionally, in patients with T2DM, plasma miRNA-192 was positively correlated with UACR. The ROC curve analysis for miRNA-192 plasma expression in patients with T2DM, revealed that miRNA-192 had a good diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.778) to define T2DM patients with DKD. Conclusion. Plasma expression of miRNA-192 was able to discriminate increased UAE among patients with T2DM; suggesting a promising role for miRNA-192 as a potential biomarker for DKD.