Urinary miRNA-29a-3p levels are associated with metabolic parameters via regulation of IGF1 in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) have been demonstrated to serve as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in metabolic syndrome (MetS). The role of urinary miRNAs in MetS diagnosis remains unknown. Here, elevated miR-29a-3p levels were observed in urine samples of patients with MetS compared with control subjects using a microarray analysis (n=4/group) and validation via reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (n=40/group). Associations between urinary miR-29a-3p levels and parameters associated with metabolism, such as adiposity, insulin resistance, lipid profiles and hepatic enzymes were further assessed. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that urinary miR-29a-3p levels were independently correlated with fasting insulin (β=0.561; P<0.001), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (β=0.242; P<0.001) and body mass index (β=-0.141; P<0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.776 and miR-29a-3p had a diagnostic value for MetS with 68.2% sensitivity and 77.3% specificity. Furthermore, insulin-like growth factor 1 was identified as a target of miR-29a-3p by searching bioinformatics databases and was validated by dual-luciferase reporter and western blot assays. In conclusion, elevated urinary miR-29a-3p levels were positively associated with MetS and demonstrated to have a potential value as biomarkers in the diagnosis of MetS. The findings provided a better understanding of the role of urinary miRNAs in pathogenesis of MetS.