Relationship of serum microRNA-125a-3p and matrix metalloproteinase 9 levels with carotid atherosclerosis in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Jiang Wei; Bai Mengmeng; Wang Haifeng

doi:10.3760/j.issn.1673-4777.2024.04.014

Abstract：Objective To investigate the relationship between serum microRNA-125a-3p(miR-125a-3p),matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP-9)levels and carotid atherosclerosis(CAS)in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2 DM).Methods Totally 200 elderly patients with T2 DM admitted to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Hospital from April 2020 to May 2023(T2DM group)were selected.Patients were divided into CAS subgroup and non CAS subgroup according to carotid intima-media thickness(CIMT),and another 45 physically healthy elderly individuals were selected during the same period(control group).Clinical data of T2 DM patients were collected and serum miR-125a-3p and MMP-9 levels of the subjects were measured.The correlation of serum miR-125a-3p and MMP-9 levels with CIMT,fasting blood glucose,glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c),triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)in T2DM patients was analyzed.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing CAS in T2 DM patients,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the predictive value of serum miR-125a-3p and MMP-9 levels on CAS in T2DM patients.Results Compared with the control group,the serum levels of miR-125a-3p and MMP-9 in T2DM group were higher[(1.58±0.30)vs(1.09±0.22),(24±8)μg/L vs(14±5)μg/L](both P＜0.001).Among 200 T2 DM patients,137 patients had CIMT ≥1.0 mm,and the incidence of CAS was 68.5％(137/200).The levels of miR-125a-3p and MMP-9 in the CAS subgroup were higher than those in the non CAS subgroup(all P＜0.05).The serum miR-125a-3p level in T2DM patients were positively correlated with MMP-9(r=0.778,P＜0.001),and both were positively correlated with CIMT,fasting blood glucose,HbA1c,triacylglycerol,and LDL-C(all P＜0.001).The results of multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that dyslipidemia,prolonged course of disease,and elevated HbA1c,LDL-C,miR-125a-3p,and MMP-9 were independent risk factors for CAS in T2DM patients(all P＜0.05).The ROC curve analysis results showed that the combined prediction of serum miR-125a-3p and MMP-9 levels for CAS in elderly T2DM patients had a larger area under the curve compared to their individual predictions(0.864 vs 0.799,0.796).Conclusion Elevated serum miR-125a-3p and MMP-9 levels in T2DM elderly patients are closely associated with CAS and may be secondary predictors of CAS in T2DM patients.