Explore the role of miRNA155 and IL-2 level in type-1 diabetic disease

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic progressive autoimmune disease characterized by destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. The immune system plays a critical role in this illness, particularly regarding micro ribonucleic acid (miRNA) expression and cytokines levels. This study aimed to investigate the role of miRNA-155 and interleukin-2 (IL-2) in diagnosis of T1DM with related to antibodies against glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (anti-GAD65) and Connecting peptide (C-peptide). This case-control study involved 120 participants, of whom 80 were T1DM patients and 40 apparently healthy subjects as controls. The patients' age ranged from 3 to 17 years of both sexes, collected from the Department of Diabetic in Al-Sader medical city in AL- Najaf Al-Ashraf province during October 2023 till February 2024. Their diagnoses were made based on clinical and serological parameters. Blood samples were collected from all participants to detect IL-2 serum level by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and miRNA155 by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), whereas anti-GAD65 and C-peptide diagnosis by a chemiluminescence immunoassay. The results showed that serum IL-2 was significantly lower in T1DM patients (330.66 ±129.92 ng/ml) compared to the control group (960.67 ±188.05 ng/ml). The expression of miR-155 was significantly higher in the patients' group (2.61 ± 1.17) versus the control group (1.0 ± 0.71) (p < 0.001). The serum level of anti-GAD antibodies among patients with T1DM was significantly higher than in controls (375.01 U/ml vs 5.66 U/ml). While the serum level of C-peptide in the patients was lower than in controls. In conclusion, the elevated expression of miRNA-155, along with significantly reduced blood IL-2 levels in T1DM patients indicates their potential as valid biomarkers for the diagnosis and progress of T1DM.