| Objective: Apelin, an adipocytokine, is up-regulated by
insulin and suppresses pancreatic insulin secretion. One
of the key microRNAs in insulin resistance caused by
obesity, is microRNA-107. MicroRNA-375 is expressed in the
pancreatic islet cells. We aimed to explore apelin-13 and
microRNA-107 and 375 in obese women with type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Materials and Methods: Fifty obese women with newly
diagnosed T2D and 50 non-diabetic obese women, as
controls, were selected. Quantitative PCR and ELISA were
used to measure the expression of microRNA-107 and 375
and Apelin-13 concentration, respectively. The role of
apelin-13 was investigated in an in vitro model. Apoptosis
was evaluated by flow cytometry.
Results: Apelin-13 levels in diabetics were significantly
more than controls (p = 0.012). The expressions of microRNA-107 and 375 of diabetic group were increased, incomparison to the control group. There was no correlation between apelin-13 and microRNA-107 and 375 in
diabetic and control groups. Significant correlations
between apelin-13 and serotonin (p < 0.001) and estimated
average glucose (p < 0.02) and insulin (p < 0.03) were only
observed in the diabetic group.
Conclusion: Serum levels of apelin-13 and circulating
microRNA-107 and 375 could be used as biomarkers for
diabetes, particularly in obese subjects. However, more
study is needed in this field. |