Dietary Intake is Associated with miR-31 and miR-375 Expression in Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

• Published in: Nutrition and cancer Vol. 74; no. 6; pp. 2049 - 2058
• Main Authors: Ferreira, Tathiany Jéssica, de Araújo, Caroline Castro, Lima, Ana Carolina da Silva, Matida, Larissa Morinaga, Griebeler, Ana Flávia Mendes, Coelho, Alexandre Siqueira Guedes, Gontijo, Antônio Paulo Machado, Cominetti, Cristiane, Vêncio, Eneida Franco, Horst, Maria Aderuza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Mahwah Taylor & Francis 03.07.2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Ascorbic acid; Carcinogenesis; Carcinogens; Cholesterol; Diet; Dietary intake; Epigenetics; Food intake; Head & neck cancer; Head and neck carcinoma; MicroRNAs; miRNA; Nutrients; Phosphorus; Selenium; Squamous cell carcinoma; Tumor suppressor genes; Tumors; Vitamin B12; Vitamin C; Vitamin D
• ISSN: 0163-5581; 1532-7914
• DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2021.1990972

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important epigenetic regulators in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), with miR-31 being considered an oncomir and miR-375, a tumor suppressor miR, which are up- and down-regulated in HNSCC, respectively. Nutrients are known to influence miRNA expression; however, this association is poorly explored in HNSCC. This work aimed to identify associations between dietary intake and the expression of miR-31 and miR-375 in patients newly diagnosed with HNSCC. The expression of miR-31 was positively associated with the consumption of iron (β = 16.65) and vitamin C (β = 0.37), and inversely associated with total sugar (β = −0.88), cholesterol (β= −0.23), vitamin B 9 (β= −0.37) and zinc (β = −5.66) intake. The expression of miR-375 was positively associated with the consumption of selenium (β = 1.52), vitamin C (β = 0.17) and vitamin D (β = 13.01), and inversely associated with the consumption of added sugar (β = −0.49), phosphorus (β= −0.27) and vitamin B 12 (β = −10.80). Our findings showed important associations between dietary intake and miR-31 and miR-375 expression in HNSCC, offering possible directions for further studies investigating how nutrients interfere with carcinogenesis. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01635581.2021.1990972 .