Pierantoni M, Dell’Aira M, Grassilli S, Brugnoli F, Bertagnolo V. MicroRNA 375 and diabetes: A key regulator of β cell function and a promising non-invasive biomarker. World J Diabetes 2025; 16(10): 110097 [PMID: 41113501 DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i10.110097]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Federica Brugnoli, PhD, Researcher, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 70, Ferrara 44121, Italy. bgf@unife.it
Research Domain of This Article
Cell Biology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Oct 15, 2025 (publication date) through Oct 22, 2025
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Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Diabetes
ISSN
1948-9358
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Pierantoni M, Dell’Aira M, Grassilli S, Brugnoli F, Bertagnolo V. MicroRNA 375 and diabetes: A key regulator of β cell function and a promising non-invasive biomarker. World J Diabetes 2025; 16(10): 110097 [PMID: 41113501 DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i10.110097]
Marina Pierantoni, Marcello Dell’Aira, Federica Brugnoli, Valeria Bertagnolo, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara 44121, Italy
Silvia Grassilli, Department of Environmental and Prevention Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara 44121, Italy
Silvia Grassilli, Laboratory for Advanced Therapy Technologies Centre, University of Ferrara, Ferrara 44121, Italy
Author contributions: Pierantoni M conducted the literature review, created the artwork and wrote the original draft; Pierantoni M and Brugnoli F interpreted data; Dell’Aira M and Grassilli S performed the literature analysis; Dell’Aira M, Grassilli S, and Brugnoli F drafted the original manuscript; Bertagnolo V conceptualized, designed and supervised the study and reviewed the original manuscript. All authors have approved the submitted version.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Federica Brugnoli, PhD, Researcher, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 70, Ferrara 44121, Italy. bgf@unife.it
Received: May 29, 2025 Revised: June 23, 2025 Accepted: September 18, 2025 Published online: October 15, 2025 Processing time: 139 Days and 18.2 Hours
Abstract
Diabetes is a growing global health concern, calling for improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Of the emerging possible biomarkers, microRNA 375 (miR-375) has gained attention for its pivotal role in pancreatic β cell development and function, and its altered blood levels following β cell injury. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the role of miR-375 in insulin regulation, its correlation with diabetes, and its clinical potential. Despite its well-known role in β cell biology, literature analyses have failed to reveal a consistent correlation between the circulating levels of miR-375 and diabetes. A key limitation lies in the lack of β cell specificity of miR-375, along with its modulation by diabetes-related complications, which influences circulating levels of the miRNA. Moreover, the absence of large-scale, standardized clinical studies undermines the comparability of existing data. Despite these limits, the literature analysis clearly indicates the need to expand research into miR-375 modulation strategies in humans, as integrating miR-375 with other diagnostic and therapeutic technologies could enhance its clinical relevance. Such strategies may support more personalized and timely interventions for treating diabetes and its complications, ultimately benefiting patient outcomes and contributing to the sustainability of global healthcare systems.
Core Tip: Diabetes mellitus is strongly linked to microRNA 375 (miR-375), the most abundant miRNA in pancreatic β cells, where it plays an essential role in cell development and insulin production. MiR-375 is detectable in blood, making it a promising non-invasive biomarker, but the exact relationship between circulating miR-375 levels and both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes remains unclear. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of how miR-375 contributes to the onset and progression of diabetes mellitus and its potential use as a tool for the management of this complex pathology.
