MiR-27b-3p Regulation in Browning of Human Visceral Adipose Related to Central Obesity

• Published in: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
• Main Authors: Yu, Jing, Lv, Yifan, Di, Wenjuan, Liu, Juan, Kong, Xiaocen, Sheng, Yunlu, Huang, Min, Lv, Shan, Qi, Hanmei, Gao, Mei, Liang, Hui, Kim, Sarah, Fu, Zan, Zhou, Hong, Ding, Guoxian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.02.2018
• ISSN: 1930-739X
• DOI: 10.1002/oby.22104

Given the rising prevalence of central obesity and the discovery that beige cells appear within white adipose tissue, strategies to enhance these energy-expending adipocytes or "browning" within white adipose depots have become of therapeutic interest to combat obesity and its associated disorders. This study focused on, the role of microRNA (miRNA)-27b-3p in human visceral adipose tissue (VAT) browning. Expression of miR-27b-3p and UCP1 in VAT and serum of humans was measured. MiR-27b-3p was overexpressed or suppressed in human visceral stromal fraction cells to analyze the potential role of miR-27b-3p. UCP1 expression in human VAT decreased with elevated BMI and waist-hip ratio, whereas expression of miR-27b-3p was found to correlate positively with BMI and waist-hip ratio. High expression of miR-27b-3p was associated with reduced browning ability of human visceral adipocytes. Antagonism of miR-27b-3p led to the enhancement of browning ability in human visceral adipocytes. These findings highlight the decreased browning ability of VAT from humans with obesity and the role of miR-27b-3p in regulating browning of human visceral adipocytes. They suggest that miR-27b-3p should be further explored as a potential target for the treatment of central obesity.