miRNAs as cornerstones in diabetic microvascular complications

Diabetes mellitus is usually accompanied by nephropathy, retinopathy, and neuropathy as microvascular complications. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can affect the kidney, retina, and peripheral neurons through their implication in pathways involved in angiogenesis, inflammation, apoptosis, as well as fibrosis within these tissues and hence, play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of microvascular complications. In this review, the updated knowledge of the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of diabetic microvascular complications was summarized. PubMed Central was searched extensively to retrieve data from a wide range of reputable biomedical reports/articles published after the year 2000 to systematically collect and present a review of the key molecular pathways mediating the hyperglycemia-induced adverse effects on vascular tissues, particularly in persons with T2DM. In the present review, miR-126, miR-29b, and miR-125a are implicated in diabetes-induced microvascular complications, while miR-146a is found to be connected to all these complications. Also, vascular endothelial growth factors are noted to be the most impacted targets by miRNAs in all diabetic microvascular problems.