Circulating microRNA profiles before bariatric surgery were associated with long-term glycemic outcomes in women with obesity and T2DM. In a prospective observational cohort study published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, preoperative miR-144-3p identified patients with persistent diabetes after RYGB.

The study included 28 women evaluated before surgery and at 3, 12, and 60 months after RYGB. Glycemic outcomes were classified according to American Diabetes Association criteria as responders or non-responders. Plasma samples collected preoperatively and at 3 months were analyzed for circulating microRNAs using array-based screening followed by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction validation.

In the screening phase, non-responders showed higher preoperative miR-144-3p expression than responders (P = 0.033). miR-144-3p levels were inversely correlated with plasma insulin concentrations (P = 0.018). In validation analyses, elevated preoperative miR-144-3p predicted persistent T2DM with an area under the curve of 0.771 (P = 0.023) and 100 % specificity.

Post hoc exploratory analysis showed that responders who relapsed at 5 years had higher miR-144-3p levels at 3 months compared with those who maintained remission (P < 0.0001). These findings identify miR-144-3p as a candidate biomarker associated with long-term glycemic outcomes after RYGB in women with obesity.