Evaluation of the association of some circulating miRNA molecules in the metabolic syndrome

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of including miRNA-371 and miRNA-143 in the early detection and diagnosis of the extent of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in obese patients by measuring the expression of miRNA-143 and miRNA-371 in metabolically and pre-metabolically obese individuals and comparing the results with metabolically healthy obese controls. In addition, the study aimed to assess the correlation between the two types of miRNA and the criteria of MetS.

Methods: The expression levels of miRNA-143 and miRNA-371 were determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for 135 obese patients who were divided into the following three different categories based on metabolic criteria: 1) metabolic syndrome obese (MetS) group, 2) pre-metabolic syndrome obese (PreMetS) group, and 3) metabolically healthy obese (MHO) group.

Results: The results indicated a significant association of miRNA-143 and miRNA-371 with the MetS group compared with the PreMetS and MHO groups. As a result, the correlation analysis for these miRNAs revealed a large association with the results of the analysis for various factors, especially with regard to fasting glucose and lipid profiles in the MetS group.

Conclusion: There was an association between obesity and MetS. This study was able to establish the role of miRNA-371 and miRNA-143 molecules in metabolically obese individuals. Therefore, by tracking the regulatory pathway of these molecules and expanding the understanding of the process of regulation and interference with the various metabolic pathways, this study could provide a deeper analysis and understanding of the MetS in obesity and the molecular causes leading to it.