Expression and diagnostic value of peripheral blood miRNA-125b and miRNA-144 in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus

  • Yanying Wu Department of Nursing, Xingtai Medical College, Xingtai 054000, China
  • Lijie Shen Department of Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xingtai Medical College, Xingtai 054000, China
  • Xin Zhang Department of Nursing, Xingtai Medical College, Xingtai 054000, China
  • Fengzhen Guo * Department of Basic Medicine, Xingtai Medical College, Xingtai 054000, China
Article ID: 4574
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18282/po4574
Keywords: miRNA; gestational diabetes mellitus; peripheral blood

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the aberrant miRNA expression profiles in the peripheral blood of pregnant women and evaluate their potential diagnostic utility in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: A cohort of 62 pregnant women diagnosed with GDM (GDM group) and 62 pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (control group) were enrolled. Peripheral blood samples were collected during late pregnancy (26–40 weeks gestation). Next-generation sequencing was employed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs, followed by validation through reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Statistical analyses were conducted to examine the correlation between miRNA expression levels and clinical parameters, as well as their contribution to GDM risk. Results: A total of 157 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in the GDM group, with 114 upregulated and 43 downregulated compared to the control group. Hierarchical clustering analysis revealed distinct miRNA expression patterns between the two groups, with 8 miRNAs significantly upregulated and 6 significantly downregulated. qPCR validation of miRNAs associated with energy metabolism confirmed that the expression levels of miRNA-125b, miRNA-543, and miRNA-144 were consistent with the sequencing data. Clinical parameters including pre-pregnancy weight, body mass index (BMI), pre-delivery diastolic blood pressure, and platelet count were significantly higher in the GDM group compared to controls. In GDM patients, miRNA-125b expression was significantly reduced (P < 0.001), while miRNA-144 expression was significantly increased (P < 0.001) compared to non-GDM pregnant women. Multivariate analysis identified miRNA-125b, miRNA-144, and pre-pregnancy BMI as independent risk factors for the development of GDM (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Dysregulated expression of miRNA-125b and miRNA-144 in peripheral blood may serve as valuable biomarkers for the early diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Published
2025-08-19

Copyright (c) 2025 Author(s)

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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