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Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes 2016; 124(07): 417-423
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1565095
Article
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Serum miR-21 may be a Potential Diagnostic Biomarker for Diabetic Nephropathy

J. Wang   *
1   Department of Endocrinology, Gansu Provincial People’s Hospital, Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, PR China
,
L. Duan   *
2   Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Gansu Provincial People’s Hospital, Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, PR China
,
L. Tian
1   Department of Endocrinology, Gansu Provincial People’s Hospital, Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, PR China
,
J. Liu
1   Department of Endocrinology, Gansu Provincial People’s Hospital, Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, PR China
,
S. Wang
3   Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Eye Hospital, Tianjin, China
,
Y. Gao
4   Metabolic Disease Center, School of Traditional Chinese medical, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
,
J. Yang
5   Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 06 September 2015
first decision 07 October 2015

accepted 12 October 2015

Publication Date:
17 November 2015 (online)

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Abstract

MiRNAs play important roles in initiation and progress of many pathologic processes. MiR-21 was closely associated with diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, whether serum miR-21 was as a potential diagnostic biomarker for DN and the relationship between serum miR-21 and tissue miR-21 remained unclear. In this study, real-time RT-PCR, cell transfection, luciferase reporter gene assays, western blot and confocal microscope were used, respectively. Here, we found that serum and renal tissue miR-21 was significantly elevated with the progress of DN. Moreover, luciferase reporter gene assays showed that smad7 was a validated miR-21 target, cell transfection showed that miR-21 overexpression downregulated target smad7 expression. Interestingly, serum miR-21 was significantly consistent with the alterations of tissue miR-21 with the development of DN. In addition, serum miR-21 was also positively correlated with GBM, GA, ACR and CCF, while negatively correlated with Ccr. Importantly, antagomiR-21 not only alleviated GBM, GA, ACR and CCF, but also ameliorated Ccr by increasing target smad7. In conclusion, our data demonstrated that serum miR-21 was closely associated with renal structure and function, and serum miR-21 may be regarded as a potential diagnostic biomarker of DN.

Key words

serum miR-21 - diabetic nephropathy - structure and function - diagnostic biomarker

* Jinyang Wang and Lijun Duan contributed equally to this study.


 

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