Following the publication of the Expression of Concern on this article [1,2], concerns were raised about partial image overlap in the underlying data published in the S2 File of [2]. Specifically, in the underlying image data provided for Fig 4, the second control group week 9 panel partially overlaps with the second DM group week 9 panel. The partial overlap observed in the underlying data provided in support of the published Fig 4 results raises concerns about the overall reliability of these data and the validity of the Fig 4 results.
The PLOS One Editors issue this Editorial Note to provide an update to the Expression of Concern [2] previously issued on this article [1] and to inform readers that in light of the concerns raised with the S2 File in [2], the Fig 4 results of [1] should also be interpreted with caution.
References
- 1. Mohan A, Singh RS, Kumari M, Garg D, Upadhyay A, Ecelbarger CM, et al. Urinary Exosomal microRNA-451-5p Is a Potential Early Biomarker of Diabetic Nephropathy in Rats. PLoS One. 2016;11(4):e0154055. pmid:27101382
- 2. The PLOS ONE Editors. Expression of Concern: Urinary Exosomal microRNA-451-5p Is a Potential Early Biomarker of Diabetic Nephropathy in Rats. PLoS One. 2024;19(12):e0316405. pmid:39715226
Citation: The PLOS One Editors (2025) Editorial Note: Urinary Exosomal microRNA-451-5p Is a Potential Early Biomarker of Diabetic Nephropathy in Rats. PLoS One 20(10): e0334987. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0334987
Published: October 22, 2025
Copyright: © 2025 The PLOS One Editors. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.