Role of MicroRNA in Obesity and Its Hypertension Complication

Background: Obesity is a major problem for world health and a leading factor in morbidity and mortality.Investigating microRNA (miRNA) profiling may aid in advancing research on obesity and related diseases.The aim of this study was to investigate the expression levels of miRNA-344 and miRNA-365 in obese patients with and without hypertension compared to normal weight healthy controls to assess the potential use of these miRNAs as early and effective diagnostic markers for obesity and could be used as predictive markers for hypertension-related obesity.We also determined the relationship between the above-mentioned miRNAs and different biochemical parameters.Subjects and methods: We studied the expression of miRNA-344 and miRNA-365 in serum samples of 63 obese patients (29 obese patients with hypertension and 34 without hypertension) and 35 non-obese healthy individuals using quantitative real-time PCR. Results:The expression of miRNA-365 was down-regulated in the sera of obese patients with or without hypertension compared to controls.Also, the present study found that miRNA-344 expression levels were related to obesity and its related hypertension.Furthermore, the correlation analysis showed that the lipid profile was related to miRNA 365 and 344 expression levels in hypertensive and obese patients. Conclusion:The expressions of miRNA-365 and miRNA-344 were related to obesity and its hypertension complications, suggesting that those miRNAs and their target genes might be involved in the development of obesity and hypertension.