Urinary miR-21, miR-29, and miR-93: Novel Biomarkers of Fibrosis

Abstract

Urinary miR-29b and miR-29c levels correlated with proteinuria and renal function, while urinary miR-93 level correlated with glomerular scarring. More importantly, urinary levels of these miRNA targets significantly correlated with urinary SMAD3 level. Our results suggest that these miRNA targets are regulated by the TGF-β(1)/SMAD3 pathway and they may play important roles in the development of progressive renal fibrosis in IgA nephropathy.