Whole-Body Cryotherapy Alters Circulating MicroRNA Profile in Postmenopausal Women

Magdalena Wiecek; Justyna Kusmierczyk; Jadwiga Szymura; Grzegorz Kreiner; Zbigniew Szygula

doi:10.3390/jcm12165265

Whole-Body Cryotherapy Alters Circulating MicroRNA Profile in Postmenopausal Women

J Clin Med. 2023 Aug 12;12(16):5265. doi: 10.3390/jcm12165265.

Authors

Magdalena Wiecek¹, Justyna Kusmierczyk¹, Jadwiga Szymura², Grzegorz Kreiner³, Zbigniew Szygula⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University of Physical Education in Kraków, 31-571 Kraków, Poland.
² Department of Clinical Rehabilitation, Faculty of Motor Rehabilitation, University of Physical Education in Kraków, 31-571 Kraków, Poland.
³ Department Brain Biochemistry, Maj Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-343 Kraków, Poland.
⁴ Department of Sports Medicine and Human Nutrition, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, University of Physical Education in Kraków, 31-571 Kraków, Poland.

Abstract

The incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases with age, especially in women. The role of microRNAs (miRs) in the regulation of metabolism is postulated. The aim of the study is to identify miRs that may be markers of MetS and to assess changes in miRs expression as a result of 10 and 20 whole-body cryotherapy treatments (WBC; 3 min, -120 °C) in postmenopausal women with MetS (M-60, BMI 30.56 ± 5.38 kg/m²), compared to healthy postmenopausal (H-60, BMI 25.57 ± 2.46 kg/m²) and healthy young women (H-20, BMI 22.90 ± 3.19 kg/m²). In a fasting state, before 1 WBC and after 10 WBCs, as well as 20 WBCs, the expression of miR-15a-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-23a-3p, miR-146a-5p, miR-197-3p, miR-223-3p, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and blood lipid profile were determined. miR-15a-5p and miR-21-5p were down-regulated in M-60, while miR-23a-3p and miR-197-3p were up-regulated, and miR-223-3p down-regulated in M-60 and H-60, compared to H-20. Significant positive correlations between up-regulated (mostly for miR-23-3p and miR-197-3p) and significant negative correlations between down-regulated (mostly for miR-15a-5p) miRs and markers of body composition as well as metabolic disorders were observed. After 20 WBCs, miR-15a-5p expression was up-regulated in all groups. In H-60, down-regulation of miR-197-3p expression occurred after 10 WBCs and 20 WBCs. Following 10 WBCs, FBG decreased in all groups, which intensified in M-60 post-20 WBCs. In our research, it has been shown that miR-23a-3p and miR-197-3p are accurate markers of MetS and MetS risk factors, while miR-15a-5p and miR-23a-3p are precise markers of body composition disorders. WBC is an effective treatment for up-regulating miR-15a-5p and lowering glucose levels in young and postmenopausal women and down-regulating miR-197-3p expression in postmenopausal women. It may be an adjunctive effective treatment method in MetS and hyperglycemia.

Keywords: metabolic syndrome; metabolism regulation; microRNAs expression; postmenopausal women; visceral obesity; whole-body cryotherapy.

Abstract

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