Microribonucleic acid‐192 as a specific biomarker for the early diagnosis of diabetic kidney disease

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the diagnostic value of microribonucleic acid (miR) as biomarkers in patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 230 diabetes mellitus patients and 53 healthy participants were enrolled, and the diabetes mellitus group was further divided into normoalbuminuria, microalbuminuria and large amount of albuminuria group. MiRs of serum and urine were quantificated using real‐time polymerase chain reaction. General clinical information was collected and analyzed for the risk factors. Cut‐off values of diagnosis sensitivity were determined by receiver operating characteristic curves and the Youden Index. RESULTS: Compared with the healthy participants, the expression of miR‐192 in serum decreased, whereas in urine it increased with the progression of DKD. The expression of both serum and urine miR‐126 increased in the diabetes mellitus group, but no significant change was obtained among the DKD groups. The area under the curve receiver operating characteristic of both serum and urine miR‐192 was higher than that of the albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio. Combined detection of urine and serum miR‐192 has a higher specificity and lower misdiagnosis rate. CONCLUSIONS: Both serum and urinary miR‐192 could be a potential biomarker of DKD, playing a crucial role in the prevention and treatment of DKD.