Significance of serum miR‐29a in the occurrence and progression of diabetic nephropathy: A cross‐sectional study

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy (DN), a common microvascular complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is an important factor causing chronic kidney disease. However, the relationship between miR‐29a and DN remains unknown. Therefore, a cross‐sectional study was conducted to identify a potential molecular biomarker for DN prevention and management by detecting the serum miR‐29a levels. METHODS: The serum miR‐29a levels were measured in 360 subjects (180 T2DM patients and 180 healthy controls) using quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT‐PCR), and other conventional indicators were measured and analysed. A binary logistic regression was used to evaluate the DN risk factors; a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to analyse the diagnostic efficacy of miR‐29a for DN, and a Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between serum miR‐29a and cystatin C. RESULTS: The serum miR‐29 levels in the T2DM patients were higher than those in the healthy subjects and significantly increased with the progression of DN (p < 0.05). Serum miR‐29a and cystatin C are independent predictors of the occurrence of DN. Compared with a single indicator, the combination of serum miR‐29a and cystatin C has better DN diagnostic performance. In addition, the serum miR‐29a levels were positively correlated with cystatin C in the patients with DN (r = 0.521, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The expression of serum miR‐29a was significantly associated with the occurrence and progression of DN and is expected to become a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of DN.