Key result
Circulating microRNA-486 and microRNA-146a identify age-related sarcopenia with an AUC up to ~0.71.
Why the study?
Age-related sarcopenia increases functional limitations and mortality in the elderly, but the relationships between circulating microRNAs and sarcopenia remain unclear.
Are circulating microRNAs (c-miR-486 and c-miR-146a) associated with sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=77)
No
Are circulating microRNAs (c-miR-486 and c-miR-146a) associated with sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults?
Circulating miR-486 and miR-146a may serve as potential biomarkers for age-related sarcopenia, outperforming traditional inflammatory cytokines.
Does not yet support routine miRNA testing for sarcopenia; leaves open diagnostic utility pending larger validation studies.
Background: Age-related sarcopenia meaningfully increases the risks of functional limitations and mortality in the elderly. Although circulating microRNAs (c-miRNAs) are associated with aging-related cellular senescence and inflammation, the relationships between c-miRNAs and sarcopenia in the elderly remain unclear. This study investigates whether circulating myo-miRNAs and inflammation-related miRNAs are associated with sarcopenia in the elderly. Methods: This investigation recruited 77 eligible subjects (41 males and 36 females) from 597 community-dwelling older adults, and then divided into normal (n=24), dynapenic (loss of muscular function without mass, n=35), and sarcopenic groups (loss of muscular function with mass, n=18). Moreover, myo- (c-miRNA-133a and c-miRNA-486) and inflammation- (c-miRNA-21 and c-miRNA-146a) related miRNAs, as well as, inflammatory-related cytokine and peroxide levels in plasma were determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and ELISA, respectively. Results: Sarcopenic group exhibited lesser skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), handgrip strength, and gait speed, as well as, lower c-miR-486 and c-miR-146a levels, compared to those of normal and dynapenic groups. Moreover, c-miR-486 level was positively related to SMI (r=0.334, P=0.003), whereas c-miR-146a level was positively associated with SMI (r=0.240, P=0.035) and handgrip strength (r=0.253, P=0.027). In the receiver operating characteristic analysis for predicting sarcopenia, the area under the curve in c-miR-486 was 0.708 (95% confidence interval: 0.561-0.855, P=0.008) and c-miR-146a was 0.676 (95% CI: 0.551-0.801, P=0.024). However, no significant relationships were observed between SMI/handgrip strength/gait speed and plasma myeloperoxidase/interleukin-1𝛽/interleukin-6 levels. Conclusions: Myo-miRNA (c-miR-486) and inflammation-related miRNA (c-miR-146a) are superior to inflammatory peroxide/cytokines in plasma for serving as critical biomarkers of age-related sarcopenia.
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Liu et al. (2020) conducted a cross-sectional in Sarcopenia (n=77). Circulating microRNA-486 and microRNA-146a levels vs. Normal and dynapenic groups was evaluated on Diagnostic accuracy for predicting sarcopenia (Area Under the Curve) (AUC 0.708, 95% CI 0.561-0.855, p=0.008). Circulating microRNA-486 and microRNA-146a served as significant diagnostic biomarkers for age-related sarcopenia, yielding area under the curve values of 0.708 and 0.676, respectively.
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