Evaluation of the expression levels of lncRNAs H19 and MEG3 in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: LncRNAs may play a role in either suppressing or exacerbating diabetes-associated vascular complications. AIMS: This study aimed to assess MEG3 and H19 expression levels in T2DM and pre-diabetes and their roles in diabetes-related microvascular complications. SUBJECT AND METHODS: (RT-PCR) analysis of the MEG3 and H19 plasma levels was carried out in 180 participants of T2DM, pre-diabetes, and control. RESULTS: The expression level of lncRNA H19 was significantly down-regulated and lncRNA MEG3 up-regulated in T2DM compared to pre-diabetes and control, also for pre-diabetes versus control. The (ROC) analysis of MEG3 and H19 relative expression levels showed that MEG3 has better sensitivity for distinguishing T2DM from pre-diabetes and control groups.In comparison, H19 offered superior sensitivity to distinguish pre-diabetic from controls. Additionally, H19 was reported as an independent risk factor for T2DM by multivariate analysis. Low expression of H19 and over-expressed MEG3 were significantly associated with retinopathy, nephropathy, and elevated renal indicators (urea, creatinine, and UACR. CONCLUSION: Our results implicated the potential diagnostic and predictive roles of lncRNA MEG3 and H19 for T2DM and related microvascular complications. Additionally, H19 may serve as a potential biomarker for pre-diabetes prediction.

Simultaneous Assessment of MicroRNAs 126 and 192 in Diabetic Nephropathy Patients and the Relation of these MicroRNAs with Urinary Albumin.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major determinant of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Altered microRNA levels lead to serious chronic diseases, such as diabetes. We aimed to measure the expression levels of two microRNAs, microRNA126 and 192 in DN and investigate their connection with albuminuria levels. METHODS: This study included 229 subjects (134 DN patients and 95 controls). Serum lipid profiles, glucose levels, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, and renal functions were assayed. The microRNA126 and microRNA192 expression levels were determined by real-time PCR. RESULTS: Patients with DN had higher weights, BMI values, glucose levels (P<0.001), HbA1c levels (P<0.001), urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) values (P<0.001), urea levels (P=0.002), and creatinine levels (P=0.004) and lower expression levels of both microRNA192 (P<0.001) and microRNA126 (P<0.001) than controls. MicroRNA126 expression was positively correlated with age, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and microRNA192 expression but negatively correlated with blood sugar, HbA1c, urea, creatinine and ACR. MicroRNA192 had higher sensitivity (91%), specificity (94%), and area under the curve (AUC) (0.967) values than microRNA126 (sensitivity, 90%; specificity, 68%; AUC, 0.897) and thus can precisely diagnose DN. CONCLUSION: Both MicroRNA126 and microRNA192 expression were obviously associated with DN and might determine the progression of the disease owing to prominent relation with macroalbuminuria.