Analysis of the Expression Patterns of MiR-135a, and MiR-33a-5p in Newly Diagnosed Type Two Diabetic Egyptian Patients

Diabetes is a chronic insulin insufficiency or resistance disorder with various systemic complications. Genetic factors play a fundamental role in its development. This study evaluated the expression of (miR-135, and miR-33a-5p) in serum samples from 100 new type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients and a similar number of healthy controls using qRT-PCR to determine their ability to serve as early biomarkers for the disease. The expressions of miR-135 (P < 0.001), and miR-33a-5p (P < 0.001) were significantly higher in diabetic cases than controls. The expression level of miR-135 was noticeably positively correlated with HbA1c and negatively correlated with TG levels. A highly significant positive correlation was observed between miR-33a-5p expression level and fasting blood glucose (FBG), cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels. The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the two markers were good discriminators of T2DM cases from controls. MiR-135 exhibited 92% sensitivity at a cut-off point of >2.67, whereas miR-33a-5p showed 74% sensitivity at a cut-off point of >2.383. The upregulation of miR-135a and miR-33a-5p holds high promise that they can serve as biomarkers for T2DM diagnosis.