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Circulating Micrornas in Obese and Diabetic Patients. An update

Dr. T. Angelo Michele Carella

microRNAs (miRNAs), short noncoding RNA sequences, regulate several biological processes as cell differentiation, proliferation and development, cell-to-cell communication, cell metabolism and apoptosis. miRNAs seem also regulate insulin signalling, immune-mediated inflammation, adipokine expression, adipogenesis, lipid metabolism, and food intake. miRNAs may have a role in molecular mechanisms linked to cellular pathways of some diseases, as viral infections, cancer, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Dysregulation of several miRNAs involves different aspects of diabetic disease: glycaemic control, residual beta cell function, insulin secretion and sensitivity, micro- and macro-vascular complications as endothelial dysfunction, renal disease and retinopathy. The recent discovery of circulating miRNAs (c-miRNAs) easily detectable and measurable in plasma and other body fluids, led to the hypothesis of their potential role as disease indicators. Altered levels of several c-miRNAs were found to be linked to type 1 and type 2 diabetes, both at onset and in advanced disease. A lot of c-miRNAs are consistently dysregulated in diabetic patients and miR-126 was confirmed to be the most linked to pathways and development of type 1 and type 2 diabetes and their complications.