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

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.