Clinical implications of miR-424 in diabetic retinopathy and its correlation with inflammatory cytokines

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) that can result in low vision or blindness, severely threatening the quality of life of patients. Because of the aberrant expression of miR-424 in DM and its close association with cataracts, we aimed to analyze the clinical implications of miR-424 in DR. We found that miR-424 levels were lower in DR than DM patients (P < 0.05), and they increased after treatment (P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curves demonstrated a reliable diagnostic value of miR-424, and levels of inflammatory cytokines were elevated in DR patients and suppressed after treatment (P < 0.05). Correlation analyses indicated an inverse association between these cytokines and miR-424 in the observation group after treatment. Moreover, miR-424 was highly predictive of the prognosis and recurrence of DR. Additionally, miR-424 was an independent protective factor for DM, as shown by logistic regression. Overall, it is concluded that the low expression of miR-424 in DR is inversely associated with inflammatory cytokines, which could be excellent potential candidates for the diagnosis and treatment of DR.