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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Endocrinol.

Sec. Translational and Clinical Endocrinology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fendo.2025.1554827

Identification of Stable Reference Genes and Differential miRNA Expression in Sri Lankan Type 2 diabetes mellitus Patients: A cross-sectional study

Provisionally accepted
P.A.D.S. PalihaderuP.A.D.S. Palihaderu1Balapuwaduge Isuru Layan Madusanka MendisBalapuwaduge Isuru Layan Madusanka Mendis1Jayasekara Mudiyanselage Krishanthi Jayarukshi Kumari PremarathneJayasekara Mudiyanselage Krishanthi Jayarukshi Kumari Premarathne2W.K.R.R DiasW.K.R.R Dias3Swee Keong YeapSwee Keong Yeap4Wan Yong HoWan Yong Ho5Arosha DissanayakeArosha Dissanayake6Harshini RajapakseHarshini Rajapakse7Panduka KarunanayakePanduka Karunanayake8Upul SenarathUpul Senarath9Dilan Amila SatharasingheDilan Amila Satharasinghe1*
  • 1Department of Basic Veterinary Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
  • 2Department of Livestock and Avian Sciences, Faculty of Livestock Fisheries and Nutrition, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, Makandura, Sri Lanka
  • 3Department of North Indian Music, Faculty of Music, University of the Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo 07 (00700), Sri Lanka, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • 4China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University Malaysia Campus, Jalan Sunsuria, Bandar Sunsuria, Sepang, Selangor (43900), Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 5Division of Biomedical Sciences University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia
  • 6Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka
  • 7Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Galle, Sri Lanka
  • 8Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • 9Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka

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Type 2 Diabetes mellitus is a major global health concern. MicroRNA plays an important role in regulating pancreatic beta cells as well as peripheral insulin signaling. This study aimed to identify reference microRNA s in type 2 Diabetes mellitus plasma and validate two target microRNAs among a Sri Lankan population with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This a cross-sectional experiment. A total of fifty-three (N = 53) non-hemolyzed plasma samples from individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus were selected to evaluate stability, in comparison to thirty-Deleted: Wider Clinical Trial eight (N = 38) normoglycemic non-hemolyzed plasma samples. Initially, the stability of four candidate reference microRNAs (hsa-miR-16-5p, hsa-miR-425-5p, hsa-miR-191-5p, and hsa-miR-22-5p) was assessed. Stability was analyzed using geNorm, and BestKeeper algorithms. The relative expression changes of hsa-miR-29a-3p and hsa-miR-375-3p in the plasma of the same samples were evaluated using the validated reference microRNAs. The selected regulatory microRNAs were directly linked with type 2 diabetes mellitus pathogenesis and proved to be upregulated in type 2 diabetes mellitus plasma and serum. The expressions of miR-16-5p and miR-191-5p were not stable between the two groups, and miR-22-5p and miR-425-5p levels were found to be stable. A significant upregulation of hsa-miR-29a-3p and hsa-miR-375-3p was observed in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients compared to normoglycemic individuals (p ≤. 0.05). This was the first study to claim hsa-miR-425-5p and hsa-miR-22-5p as stably expressed reference microRNAs in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Sri Lankan type 2 diabetic patients also had increased hsa-miR-29a-3p and hsa-miR-375-3p levels. However, large and well-matched sample studies were suggested to ensure that these microRNAs can be used for type 2 diabetes diagnostic markers in Sri Lanka,

Keywords: Expression, hsa-miR-425-5p, hsa-miR-22-5p, Hsa-miR-29a-3p, hsa-miR-375-3p, MicroRNAs, Reference, stability

Received: 03 Jan 2025; Accepted: 29 Apr 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Palihaderu, Mendis, Premarathne, Dias, Yeap, Ho, Dissanayake, Rajapakse, Karunanayake, Senarath and Satharasinghe. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Dilan Amila Satharasinghe, Department of Basic Veterinary Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material