Within the study group, a total of 36 patients (40%) presented with an average 24-hour systolic BP (SBP) ≥130 mm Hg and 41 patients (45%) presented nocturnal hypertension (NHT; SBP ≥120 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥ 70 mm Hg). miRNA-155-5p was increased in plasma of CKD patients with median expression relative to control subjects equal to 2.92 (1.34-5.58).
Finally, overexpression of miR-155 in VSMC from CKD rats inhibited AT1R expression and decreased cellular proliferation supporting a direct effect of miR-155 on VSMC.