Expression and clinical significance of mir-520g-3p in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Abstract

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by glucose intolerance that develops during pregnancy. Recent studies have begun to elucidate the role of MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathophysiology of GDM, suggesting that these non-coding RNAs could serve as potential biomarkers for the condition. This study aimed to investigate the clinical diagnostic value of miR-520g-3p in GDM patients.

Methods: GSE104297 dataset was downloaded and analyzed by R software to obtain the differentially expressed miRNAs. A total of 110 GDM patients and 110 healthy pregnant women were recruited and the serum samples were collected. The expressions of miRNAs in the serum samples were detected by qRT-PCR assay. Then, the diagnostic value of miR-520g-3p in GDM patients were analyzed by receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis. The correlation between miR-520g-3p expression and patient clinical information was analyzed using Pearson analysis.

Results: Through the GSE104297 dataset, we obtained a total of 15 upregulated and 15 downregulated miRNAs in the feto-placental endothelial cells of GDM patients. Then, in the serum of GDM patients, miR-520g-3p, miR-519d-3p, miR-145-3p, miR-1246 and miR-671-3p expression levels were significantly increased, while miR-579-3p and miR-378a-5p were decreased. Among them, the change in miR-520g-3p is the most significant. Furthermore, the results of ROC analysis showed that the AUCs of miR-520g-3p in GDM patients from normal pregnant women were 0.861. miR-520g-3p levels was significantly positively correlated with FBG, OGTT (1 h and 2 h) and TG.

Conclusion: This study identifies miR-520g-3p might be a promising biomarker for GDM, demonstrating significant correlations with clinical characteristics and diagnostic potential.