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Published on: December 30, 2025
Altered Expression Profile of Circular RNAs in the Serum of Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy Revealed by Microarray
Yonghao Gu1, Genjie Ke, Lin Wang
1Department of Ophthalmology, Anhui Provincial Hospital affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
Purpose:
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness among working age adults. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a kind of noncoding RNAs that are involved in the development of some diseases. Here, we aimed to determine the possible role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of DR by determining the expression profile of circRNAs in the serum of DR patients.
Methods:
Nineteen subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus with proliferative DR (T2DR), 15 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus without DR (T2DM), and 21 age-matched nondiabetic control subjects were included in the study. Expression profiles in the serum samples from 5 subjects of each group were studied by circular microarray and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain re- action (qRT-PCR) in another 40 subjects. Bioinformatic software was used to predict the microRNA response elements.
Results:
Thirty circRNAs were significantly upregulated in the serum of T2DR patients compared with the serum from both T2DM and control patients. Further, the altered expression of 7 circRNAs (hsa_circRNA_063981, hsa_circRNA_ 404457, hsa_circRNA_100750, hsa_circRNA_406918, hsa_ circRNA_104387, hsa_circRNA_103410, and hsa_circRNA_ 100192) were verified by qRT-PCR.
Conclusion:
This study suggested a potential role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of DR and provides novel molecular targets for clinical therapy.
Insights
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) show altered expression in diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients, suggesting their role in DR development. These circRNAs may offer new molecular targets for treating this leading cause of blindness.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a primary cause of vision loss in working-age adults.
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a class of noncoding RNAs, are implicated in various disease processes.
- Understanding the role of circRNAs in DR pathogenesis is crucial for developing new therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression profile of circRNAs in the serum of patients with diabetic retinopathy.
- To identify specific circRNAs involved in the development of DR.
- To explore the potential of circRNAs as diagnostic or therapeutic targets for DR.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples were collected from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and proliferative DR (T2DR), type 2 diabetes mellitus without DR (T2DM), and non-diabetic controls.
- CircRNA expression profiling was performed using circular microarray analysis.
- Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used for validation of differentially expressed circRNAs.
- Bioinformatic analysis was employed to predict microRNA response elements.
Main Results:
- Thirty circRNAs were found to be significantly upregulated in the serum of T2DR patients compared to T2DM and control groups.
- The differential expression of seven specific circRNAs (hsa_circRNA_063981, hsa_circRNA_404457, hsa_circRNA_100750, hsa_circRNA_406918, hsa_circRNA_104387, hsa_circRNA_103410, and hsa_circRNA_100192) was confirmed by qRT-PCR.
- These findings indicate a distinct circRNA signature in DR serum.
Conclusions:
- CircRNAs play a potential role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.
- The identified circRNAs represent novel molecular targets for the clinical management and therapy of DR.
- Further research into circRNA function could lead to improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for DR.
