Assessing microRNA-375 Levels in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) Patients and T2DM Patients Having First-Degree Relatives With T2DM 

Abstract Background:The pancreatic islet specific microRNA-375 (miR-375) is reported to be upregulated in diabetes patients suppressing the glucose-induced insulin secretion. In this clinical study we aimed to assess the significance of miR-375 among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and their first-degree relatives with normal glucose tolerance (FD-NGT) and those with T2DM (FD-T2DM).Methods:We included 56 Han Chinese individuals who received medical health check-ups from January 2018 to September 2018 in the Outpatient Department of Endocrinology, The Third Hospital of Yunnan Province, China. They were categorized as normal glucose tolerance (NGT), T2DM, FD-NGT and FD-T2DM. OGTT, C-Peptide and Insulin tests were performed to confirm the diagnosis. The miR-375 levels were determined by Quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR).Results:The OGTT test showed a significant difference in T2DM and FD-T2DM groups compared with NGT and FD-NGT (p＜0.05). Similar results were observed during C-Peptide and insulin tests. Interestingly, the 2-hour insulin test showed FD-NGT group having a significantly higher mean ± standard error of (64.240±12.775) compared to NGT (28.836±10.875). Assessment of miR-375 expression levels in 4 groups showed a significant up-regulation in T2DM and FD-T2DM compared with NGT and FD-NGT group. A slight increase in miRNA expression was observed in FD-NGT compared with NGT group but was not statistically significant.Conclusion: A significantly higher miR-375 expression was observed in T2DM and FD-T2DM groups compared with NGT and FD-NGT and thus, miR-375 may serve as a stable biomarker for the early prediction of T2DM among high-risk individuals.