MiR-144-3p participates in the regulation of gestational diabetes mellitus by targeting FOXO1.

BACKGROUND

The pivotal role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have been increasingly highlighted in recent studies.

AIMS

To investigate miR-144-3p expression in patients with GDM and its potential mechanisms in GDM.

METHODS

According to the inclusion criteria, 98 pregnant women with GDM and 98 normal pregnant women were statistically selected. The levels of miR-144-3p were determined by RT-qPCR. The ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of miR-144-3p for GDM. Pearson analysis was used to analyze the correlation. HRT-8/SVneo cells were induced by high glucose in vitro to mimic the high glucose environment of GDM. On this basis, the cell models of miR-144-3p overexpression and knockdown were established to investigate the potential mechanism of miR-144-3p in GDM.

RESULTS

The level of miR-144-3p in GDM group was markedly higher than that in normal pregnant women. In terms of predicting GDM, miR-144-3p demonstrated high accuracy. MiR-144-3p was positively linked to blood glucose markers in GDM. Further investigation has confirmed that miR-144-3p harbors a binding site for FOXO1 and can directly modulate its expression. Moreover, miR-144-3p targeted FOXO1 to affect the proliferation of trophoblast cells.

CONCLUSION

The expression of miR-144-3p is elevated in pregnant women with GDM. MiR-144-3p may be involved in the regulation of GDM by targeting FOXO1.