(P23-013-23) Associations Among Plasma Expression of miRNA-486, Fruits Intake and Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation in Older Adults From a Population-Based Study

Objectives: To evaluate the plasma expression of miRNA-486 and the intake of fruits according to the systemic low-grade inflammation score (SIS), and assess their associations with inflammatory biomarkers in older adults participating in ISA-Nutrition 2015.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from 193 older adults (69.1±0.5 years; 50.4% female) participating in ISA-Nutrition 2015. Individuals with acute inflammatory diseases or using medication that could influence the results were excluded. The miRNA-486 was quantified by qRT-PCR. Plasma concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers were determined from a multiplex immunoassay kit or ELISA technique. The SIS was calculated from plasmatic concentrations of 10 inflammatory biomarkers. Fruit intake was evaluated according to the usual consumption of individuals. The adjusted Wald test was used to compare variables of interest according to tertiles of SIS, with individuals in the 3^rd tertile having the highest scores in SIS, while those in the 1^st tertile had the lowest scores. Kendall’s tau-a was used to estimate correlation between plasma miRNA expression and variables of interest. Analyses were performed using Stata/SE software, version 17.0 with a significance level of 0.05.

Results: A total of 45.1% of participants were overweight/obese and 64.7% of them had metabolic syndrome. Plasma expression of miR-486 was lower in 3^rd tertile (more inflammatory) when compared to 1^st tertile (less inflammatory). The intake of fruits was higher in 1^st tertile than in 2^nd tertile (intermediate inflammatory). Moreover, the plasma expression of miRNA-486 was inversely correlated to plasma TNF-α (-0.111; p=0.035) and leptin (-0.158; p=0.003) concentrations. Lastly, plasma expression of miRNA-486 was inversely correlated to the intake of fruits (-0.104; 0.040).

Conclusions: Plasma expression of miRNA-486 varied according to the degree of systemic low-grade inflammation of older adults. Moreover, the plasma expression of miRNA-486 was associated with fruits intake, highlighting that dietary factors can modulate the expression of miRNA.

Funding Sources: São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) | National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)