MicroRNA Profiles Targeting Angiopoietin-1, Angiopoietin-2, and TEK Receptor Tyrosine Kinase-2 Genes Associated with Angiogenesis in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

Objectives: This study aims to assess the concentrations of angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2, and Tie-2, which are implicated in the pathophysiology of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), in the vitreous fluid and to evaluate the expression profiles of microRNA (miR)-145-5p, miR-542-3p, miR-5195-3p, miR-126-3p, miR-211-3p, and miR-204-5p. Materials and Methods: The study included 25 patients with PDR and 25 non-diabetic individuals as controls. Vitreous angiopoietin-1, angiopoietin-2, and Tie-2 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). miRNA expression levels were evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Vitreous angiopoietin-1 and 2 levels were significantly lower in the PDR group when compared to controls (p<0.05). The PDR group also had a lower angiopoietin-1/angiopoietin-2 ratio and higher Tie-2 levels, but these differences did not reach statistical significance (p>0.05). Significantly higher levels of miR-126-3p and miR-204-5p were detected in the PDR group (p<0.05), whereas miR-211-3p, miR-5195-3p, miR-542-3p, and miR-145-5p did not show statistically significant differences (p>0.05). Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that increased miR-204-5p and miR-126-3p expression may be associated with angiogenesis-related alterations in PDR. These findings provide insight into PDR-related angiogenesis and suggest that these microRNAs may represent potential biomarkers of disease-related vascular alterations.