Title:Expression of Circulating MicroRNAs Associated with Obesity and their
Relationships with Biochemical Parameters and Health-related Physical
Fitness in Children 6 to 10 Years Old in Cali, Colombia
Volume: 12
Issue: 1
Author(s): Carlos Andrés Rico-Flórez, Daniel Solis-Toro, Ana Maria Arboleda, Ángela Hoyos-Quintero, Diego Bravo-Solarte, Blanca Salazar, Harry Garcia, Jose Guillermo Ortega, Milton Fabián Suaréz- Ortegón, Santiago Arboleda-Franco and Mildrey Mosquera Escudero*
Affiliation:
- Grupo de Nutrición. Universidad del Valle, Cali, Columbia
- Departamento de Ciencias Fisiológicas, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
Keywords:
Circulating microRNA, obesity, biomarkers, physical fitness, HRPF, body mass index.
Abstract:
Background: Obesity is a public health problem worldwide; it has reached pandemic
proportions in the last 40 years. Its prevalence in children and adolescents increased from 0.7% to
7.8% between 1975 and 2016. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported as regulatory
factors related to molecular functions under different conditions. These can be used as biomarkers
of a disease to estimate risks in the early stages.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the expression levels of miRNAs associated with childhood
obesity and their relationships with biochemical parameters and Health-related Physical Fitness
(HRPF).
Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which a population of 40 children between
6 and 10 years of age of both sexes from Cali, Colombia, was evaluated; the children were
classified as 20 normal-weight and 20 obese. Blood biochemistry, HRPF, and miRNA expression
levels were determined (hsa-miR-122-5p, hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-191-5p, hsa-miR-486-3p,
hsa-miR-222-3p. Comparisons were made between the groups, miRNA associations between the
studied variables, and linear regression analysis.
Results: Twenty normal-weight and 20 obese patients were evaluated. Both groups had an average
age of eight years old. The miRNA hsa-miR-122-5p (p < 0.05) was overexpressed in the obese
group. According to the linear regression analysis, the amount of adipose tissue may be associated
with the production of miRNAs (hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-222-3p, hsa-miR-122-5p, and hsamiR-
191-5p).
Conclusion: Four miRNAs (hsa-miR-15b-5p, hsa-miR-222-3p, hsa-miR-122-5p, and hsa-miR-
191-5p) are associated with modifications in biochemical variables of HRPF in this group. Adipose
tissue mass could be associated with the production of these miRNAs, thus making them biomarkers
of childhood obesity risk.
