Decreased Plasma Level of TRIB3 is Associated with Circulating miR-124a in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

BACKGROUND Recent evidence indicates that TRIB3 and miR-124 levels have been deregulated in type 2 diabetes (T2D); however, the simultaneous evaluation of these markers in diabetic patients has not been investigated to date. METHODS This case-control study included 50 T2D patients and 40 age-gender matched controls. The circulation level of miR-124a was assessed by real-time PCR. TRIB3 plasma level was measured using the enzyme-linked im-munosorbent assay. RESULTS Our findings revealed that the TRIB3 plasma level was significantly increased (p = 0.025), while miR-124a plasma levels were significantly reduced (p = 0.028) in diabetic patients compared to healthy subjects. ROC analysis showed that TRIB3 and miR-124a levels could discriminate control subjects and diabetic patients. Interestingly, a significant negative correlation was found between the TRIB3 and miR-124a plasma levels. Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between the TRIB3 plasma level with fasting blood glucose and insulin resistance. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we showed deregulation of TRIB3 level in diabetic patients and its association with miR-124a circulating level and clinical parameters. These findings suggest that miR-124a may affect T2D incidence and progression by modulating the expression of TRIB3 protein level.