Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity (Oct 2023)
Circulating MicroRNA-30a, Beclin1 and Their Association with Different Variables in Females with Metabolically Healthy /Unhealthy Obesity
Abstract
Mervat Naguib,1 Mohamed Magdy,1 Omar Ahmed Elsayed Yousef,2 Walaa Ibrahim,3 Doaa Mostafa Gharib3 1Diabetes and Endocrinology Unite, Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 2Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary; 3Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, EgyptCorrespondence: Mervat Naguib, Diabetes and Endocrinology Unite, Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, 41 Manial Street, Cairo, 11451, Egypt, Tel +20 25729584, Fax +20 2628884, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Obesity is associated with metabolic and cardiovascular co-morbidities. It is important to determine the factors associated with metabolic derangement in obesity. Autophagy plays a major role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. MicroRNA-30a targets beclin1, the main regulator of autophagy.Purpose: We assess circulating microRNA-30a and serum beclin1 in women with metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO), women with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and non-obese healthy control and determine their relationship with different clinical and metabolic variables in women with obesity.Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 34 women with MHO, 34 with MUO, and 20 healthy non-obese women. Blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference were recorded. Glycemic and lipid indices, urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, ALT, AST, microRNA-30a expression in serum were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction and beclin1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were measured.Results: The expression of microRNA-30a was significantly higher, and beclin1 level was significantly lower in women with MUO compared to those in women with MHO (P< 0.001; for both). People with MUO were significantly older (P< 0.001) and had higher TSH (P=0.006), HbA1c (P< 0.001), triglyceride (P< 0.001), and ALT (P< 0.001) compared to women with MHO. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in any anthropometric measurements, HDL-C or LDL-C. In univariate analyses, age, ALT, TSH, microRNA-30a, and beclin1 were significantly correlated with the MUO phenotype (P< 0.001; for all). Significance was confirmed in the multivariate analysis for microRNA-30a (95% CI 1.317– 28.252; P=0.021).Conclusion: MicroRNA-30a, beclin1, age, and ALT and TSH levels were significantly associated with the MUO phenotype, among which microRNA-30a was the best indicator of metabolic syndrome in women with obesity.Keywords: metabolic syndrome, microRNA-30a, beclin1, obesity
