Abstract
This study was to evaluate the expression of miR-129–5p in non-alcoholic
fatty liver (NAFLD) patients and its clinical value and explore its regulatory
effect on insulin resistance (IR). A total of 117 NAFLD patients and 110 healthy
controls were included. The levels of miR-129-5p were detected by qRT-PCR. To
assess the diagnostic value of miR-129-5p for NAFLD, the receiver operating
characteristic curve (ROC) was established. C57Bl/6 mice were supplied
with high-fat diet to establish NAFLD model. Intraperitoneal insulin tolerance
test (IPITT) was carried out to evaluate the effect of miR-129-5p on IR in NAFLD
animal model. miR-129-5p was highly expressed in the serum of NAFLD patients,
and patients with HOMA-IR ≥2.5 had higher level of miR-129-5p than those
with HOMA-IR <2.5. miR-129-5p had the ability to differentiate NAFLD
patients from healthy individuals and might be associated with the development
of IR. Serum miR-129-5p was positively correlated with the levels of HOMA-IR,
BMI, total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) in NAFLD patients.
Downregulation of miR-129-5p regulates lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity
in NAFLD mice model. MiR-129-5p was upregulated in NAFLD patients and might be a
potential diagnostic biomarker. The regulatory effect of miR-129-5p on NAFLD may
function by regulating lipid accumulation and insulin sensitivity.
Key words
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease - insulin resistance - microRNA-129-5p - HOMA-IR