Correlation between serum miR-154-5p and urinary albumin excretion rates in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus:a cross-sectional cohort study

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between serum miR-154-5p and urinary albumin to creatinine ratio(UACR)in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)and the association with biomarkers of inflammation and fibrosis in diabetic kidney disease(DKD).A total of 390 patients with T2DM were divided into three groups:normal albuminuria(UACR<30 mg/g,n=136,NA),microalbuminuria(UACR at 30-300 mg/g,n=132,MA),and clinical albuminuria(UACR>300 mg/g,n=122,CA).Circulating miR-154-5p,inflammatory(C-reactive protein(CRP);erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR);and tumor necrosis factor-a(TNF-α)and fibrotic markers(vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF);transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1);and fibronectin(FN),and other biochemical indicators were assessed via real-time PCR,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and chemiluminescence assay in patients with T2DM and 138 control subjects(NC).UACR,miR-154-5p,glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c),serum creatinine(sCr),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),ESR,CRP,VEGF,TNF-α,TGF-β1,and FN were significantly higher and the estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR)was significantly lower in NA,MA,and CA groups than in NC subjects(P<0.05).Elevated levels of UACR and miR-154-5p were directly correlated with HbA1c,sCr,BUN,ESR,CRP,VEGF,TNF-α,TGF-β1,and FN and negatively correlated with eGFR(P<0.05).miR-154-5p,HbA1c,sCr,BUN,eGFR,ESR,CRP,VEGF,TNF-α,TGF-β1,and FN were important factors affecting UACR.These findings indicated that elevated serum miR-154-5p is significantly correlated with high UACR in patients with T2DM and may offer a novel reference for the early diagnosis of DKD.