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Updated: Oct 8, 2025
Modeling and Evaluation of Murine Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Model
Published on: November 29, 2024
Changes in microRNA Expression Profiles in Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Rats Following H3 Relaxin Treatment
Xiaohui Zhang1, Mingming Liu1, Kelaier Yang1,2
1Department of Cardiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
Abstract:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs that play an important role in the mechanisms of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM); however, whether human recombinant relaxin-3 (H3 relaxin) inhibits myocardial injury in DCM rats and the underlying mechanisms involving miRNAs remain unknown. miRNA expression profiles were detected using miRNA microarray and bioinformatics analyses of myocardial tissues from control, DCM, and H3 relaxin-administered DCM groups, and the regulatory mechanisms of the miRNAs were investigated. A total of 5 miRNAs were downregulated in the myocardial tissues of DCM rats and upregulated in H3 relaxin-treated DCM rats, and 1 miRNA (miRNA let-7d-3p) was increased in the myocardial tissue of DCM rats and decreased in H3 relaxin-treated DCM rats as revealed by miRNA microarray and validated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Important signaling pathways were found to be triggered by the differentially expressed miRNAs, including metabolism, cancer, Rap1, PI3K-Akt, and MAPK signaling pathways. The study revealed that H3 relaxin improved glucose uptake in DCM rats, potentially via the regulation of miRNA let-7d-3p.
Insights
Human recombinant relaxin-3 (H3 relaxin) may protect against diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) by regulating specific microRNAs (miRNAs). This study investigated H3 relaxin
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Molecular Endocrinology
- Genomics and Bioinformatics
Background:
- Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) involves microRNAs (miRNAs) in its pathogenesis.
- The therapeutic potential of human recombinant relaxin-3 (H3 relaxin) in DCM and its miRNA-related mechanisms are largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of H3 relaxin on myocardial injury in DCM rats.
- To identify specific miRNAs regulated by H3 relaxin in DCM and elucidate their underlying mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- miRNA expression profiling using miRNA microarray analysis in rat myocardial tissues.
- Bioinformatics analysis to identify signaling pathways affected by differentially expressed miRNAs.
- Validation of key miRNA expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Main Results:
- Five miRNAs were downregulated in DCM rats and upregulated by H3 relaxin treatment.
- miRNA let-7d-3p was upregulated in DCM rats and downregulated following H3 relaxin administration.
- Differentially expressed miRNAs were linked to critical signaling pathways including Rap1, PI3K-Akt, and MAPK.
Conclusions:
- H3 relaxin demonstrates a protective effect against DCM in rats.
- H3 relaxin may exert its therapeutic effects by modulating specific miRNA expression, notably miRNA let-7d-3p.
- H3 relaxin's improvement of glucose uptake in DCM rats is potentially mediated through miRNA let-7d-3p regulation.
