Association of Serum MicroRNA-145-5p Levels with Microvascular Complications of Type 1 Diabetes: the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study

AIMS: To investigate whether serum miR-145-5p levels were associated with micro-macrovascular chronic complications in patients with type 1 diabetes (DM1).

METHODS: A nested case-control study from the EURODIAB Prospective Complications Study was performed. Cases (n=289) had one or more complications of diabetes, whereas controls (n=153) did not have any complication. We measured miR-145-5p levels by qPCR and investigated the association with diabetes complications.

RESULTS: Mean miR-145-5p levels were significantly lower in cases with microangiopathy [2.12 (0.86-4.94)] compared to controls [3.15 (1.21-7.36), P<0.05] even after adjustment for age, gender, and diabetes duration. In logistic regression analysis, miR-145-5p levels in the lowest tertile were associated with an over three-fold increased odds ratio (OR) of albuminuria [3.22 (1.17-8.81)], independently of both demographic and diabetes-related factors. In addition, mir145-5p levels in the lowest tertile were independently and inversely associated with arterial hypertension [1.96 (1.08-3.56)] and hypertension was the mediator of the relationship between miR-145-5p and albuminuria.

CONCLUSIONS: In this large cohort of DM1 patients, we found an inverse association between miR-145-5p and albuminuria that was mediated by systemic hypertension.