Association between circulating microRNAs and changes in kidney function: A five-year prospective study among Japanese adults without CKD.

Abstract Background Although a number of microRNAs (miRNA) reflecting kidney function has been identified, prospective studies are now urgently needed to determine a clinical utility of these miRNAs among general populations. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between serum miRNAs and kidney function in a population-based study. Methods We conducted a five-year prospective study (2012–2017) of 169 individuals without chronic kidney disease (CKD) at the baseline survey (mean age, 62.5; 96 women). The real-time qPCR was used to measure serum levels of five previously reported miRNAs. Participants with eGFR  Results After adjusting for covariates including baseline eGFR, lower serum levels (1st tertile) of miR-126 were associated with a greater decline of eGFR (β [SE] = −3.18 [1.50]) and a higher odds ratio (OR) of CKD onset over five years (OR [95% CI] = 3.85 [1.01–16.8]), compared with the 3rd tertile. Conclusions We found baseline serum miR-126 levels were associated with changes in eGFR and new CKD cases in a five-year prospective study. This result suggests that miR-126 may be a potential biomarker of CKD even among general populations.