LncRNA SNHG14 Drives NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Mechanistic Insights and Diagnostic Implications

BackgroundDiabetic foot (DF), a severe complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), poses significant challenges in early diagnosis and mechanistic understanding. This study investigates the expression patterns and clinical relevance of long non-coding RNA SNHG14 (lncRNA SNHG14) and the NLRP3 inflammasome in DF pathogenesis.MethodsA total of 176 DM patients (88 DF cases vs 88 Non-DF controls) admitted between September 2022 and February 2024 were enrolled. Serum SNHG14 and NLRP3 levels were quantified via qRT-PCR, while DF severity was categorized using the Wagner grading system. Pearson's correlation assessed SNHG14-NLRP3 interactions, Spearman's rank correlation evaluated their associations with Wagner grades, logistic regression identified independent risk factors, and ROC analysis determined diagnostic efficacy.ResultsDF patients exhibited significantly prolonged diabetes duration, elevated HbA1c%, FPG, and upregulated SNHG14/NLRP3 expression compared to Non-DF controls (P < 0.05). A robust positive correlation was observed between SNHG14 and NLRP3 (r = 0.7006, P < 0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression revealed diabetes duration (OR = 7.423, P < 0.0001), HbA1c (OR = 19.478, P = 0.002), SNHG14 overexpression (OR = 5941.653, P < 0.001), and NLRP3 upregulation (OR = 529.864, P = 0.036) as independent DF risk factors. Both SNHG14 (r = 0.5953) and NLRP3 (r = 0.5554) positively correlated with Wagner grades (P < 0.0001). ROC analysis demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy for SNHG14 (AUC = 0.8688) and NLRP3 (AUC = 0.8074), with combined detection further improving performance (AUC = 0.8773, sensitivity = 77.27%, specificity = 93.18%).ConclusionOverexpression of SNHG14 and NLRP3 is intricately linked to DF progression, metabolic dysregulation, and ulcer severity. Their combined use synergistically enhances diagnostic precision, highlighting transformative potential in DF management.