ITGB3 as a promising non-invasive biomarker for type 2 diabetes and diabetic nephropathy

The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing worldwide and represents a major risk factor for the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN), a severe microvascular complication. Chronic hyperglycemia activates inflammatory and fibrotic signaling pathways, which contribute to kidney damage. Integrins, as transmembrane adhesion receptors, play pivotal roles in regulating inflammation, immune cell trafficking, and insulin resistance. This research focused on identifying non-invasive biomarkers for T2DM and DN using PBMCs. Differentially expressed genes related to diabetes were identified through the analysis of multiple datasets retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus, including GSE95849, GSE9006, GSE25724, and GSE159984. ITGB3 was identified as a common gene across these datasets, and its expression in DN was further examined using the GSE142025 dataset. Real-time PCR analysis of PBMC samples revealed a significant upregulation of ITGB3 expression in individuals with DN and T2DM compared to healthy controls. The TF2DNA and miRNASNPv3 databases identified 10 transcription factors and 10 variants of ITGB3 involved in 60 miRNA interactions. Additionally, the DGIdb database revealed 15 drugs potentially regulating ITGB3 expression. These findings underscore the importance of integrin-related pathways in diabetes and suggest ITGB3 as a promising target for future research and therapeutic development.