Role of MicroRNA 126 in screening, diagnosis, and prognosis of diabetic patients in Egypt.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), family of non-coding small RNAs, play a vital role in the regulation of blood glucose level. We aimed to investigate the relation of serum miRNA-126 expression with impaired glucose tolerance as well as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with and without complications. One hundred healthy controls, eighty-six patients with IGT, and one hundred patients with T2DM were recruited in this study. Serum miRNA-126 expression was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. We found a significant decrease of serum miRNA-126 expression between IGT patients as well as diabetic patients when both compared with controls and between diabetic patients compared to IGT patients. A significant decrease of serum miRNA-126 expression was detected in diabetic patients with complications compared to those without evident complications especially those with diabetic macrovascular complications and diabetic retinopathy. Serum microRNA-126 expression could be a good marker for diagnosis of IGT and T2DM as well as for monitoring the outcomes of such disease.