Changes of MicroRNA-377 in Diabetic Nephropathy

Abstract

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in modulating gene expression. In cultured mesangial cells, MiR-377 exhibited the greatest change on exposure to high glucose and led to increased fibronectin production in in-vitro diabetic nephropathy. Our aim was to identify the pattern of microRNA-377 changes in human diabetic patients with different stages of diabetic nephropathy. Methods: The study included 45 patients divided into 5 groups; patients with stage 1 & 2 diabetic nephropathy (DN), stage 3 & 4 DN, diabetics without DN, stage 1 & 2 chronic kidney disease (CKD), and stage 3 & 4 CKD. The following tests were done to all patients; serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), albumin to creatinine ratio, blood sugar, urine analysis, glycated hemoglobin, fundus examination. The RNA was extracted from plasma samples, TaqMan microRNA (miRNA) assays from applied Bio systems were used for analysis of MicroRNA-377. Results: This study found that patients with the highest median of the interquartile range (IQR) of miR-377 were those of group 1 with significant difference between them and all other groups. MiR-377 was significantly correlated with glycated hemoglobin but not with eGFR. Conclusion: Plasma miR-377 is highly significantly increased in human diabetic patients with early rather than late diabetic nephropathy, diabetics without nephropathy, or those at any stage of other causes of CKD. Our findings confirm the role of miR-377 as a potentially novel target in the development of diabetic nephropathy in humans.