Differential Expression of Urinary Exosomal miRNA in Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy and Evaluation of its Diagnostic Value
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Updated: Sep 30, 2025
A Modified Precipitation Method to Isolate Urinary Exosomes
Published on: January 16, 2015
Songjia Guo1, Huiqiang Hao1, Shuyun Li2
1Department of Nephrology, Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital.
Abstract:
Urinary exosomal miRNA is an ideal non-invasive biomarker of renal disease, but little is known about its ability to diagnose idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). The purpose of this study was to explore the clinical value of urinary exosomal miRNAs in IMN. Urine samples were collected from 36 IMN patients and 36 healthy subjects. Some samples were used to analyze the miRNA profiles of urinary exosomes by high-throughput sequencing. The remaining cases were verified by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Additionally, the serum of the patients and healthy people was collected, and the clinical parameters were detected. Through high-throughput sequencing of samples, it was found that 20 miRNAs were markedly down-regulated. MiR-9-5p and miR-30b-5p were selected for verification, and the results were consistent with those of high-throughput sequencing. MiR-9-5p was correlated with the level of triglyceride and estimated glomerular filtration rate. MiR-30b-5p was related to the levels of anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibody, serum albumin, β 2-microglobulin and the ratio of global sclerosis/observed glomeruli number. The analysis of Receiver Operating Characteristic curves revealed that miR-30b-5p and miR-9-5p showed a potential diagnostic value for IMN. This study showed that there were significant differences in urinary exosome miRNA profiles between IMN patients and healthy persons. MiR-30b-5p and miR-9-5p may become new non-invasive biomarkers of IMN.
Insights
Urinary exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) show promise for diagnosing idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN). Specific miRNAs, miR-9-5p and miR-30b-5p, were identified as potential non-invasive biomarkers for IMN detection.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Biomarker Discovery
- Molecular Diagnostics
Background:
- Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) diagnosis relies on invasive methods.
- Urinary exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as non-invasive biomarkers for renal diseases.
- The diagnostic potential of urinary exosomal miRNAs in IMN remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical utility of urinary exosomal miRNAs for diagnosing IMN.
- To identify specific urinary exosomal miRNAs that can differentiate IMN patients from healthy individuals.
Main Methods:
- High-throughput sequencing of urinary exosomal miRNAs from 36 IMN patients and 36 healthy controls.
- Validation of differentially expressed miRNAs using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).
- Correlation analysis of identified miRNAs with clinical parameters and diagnostic performance evaluation using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in urinary exosome miRNA profiles were observed between IMN patients and healthy subjects.
- Twenty miRNAs were found to be markedly down-regulated in IMN patients.
- MiR-9-5p and miR-30b-5p were validated as significantly altered and showed potential diagnostic value for IMN via ROC analysis.
Conclusions:
- Urinary exosomal miRNA profiles differ significantly between IMN patients and healthy individuals.
- MiR-9-5p and miR-30b-5p demonstrate potential as novel, non-invasive biomarkers for IMN diagnosis.
- Further research is warranted to establish the clinical application of these urinary exosomal miRNAs in IMN management.
