Signature of micro RNA 146a/215 and IL-6/TGF-β levels in a cross-link axis between obesity and colorectal cancer

Ghada Ayeldeen; Olfat G Shaker; Ahmed M Khairy; Asharef Y Elfert; Nabil A Hasona

doi:10.1016/j.ncrna.2023.01.001

Signature of micro RNA 146a/215 and IL-6/TGF-β levels in a cross-link axis between obesity and colorectal cancer

Noncoding RNA Res. 2023 Jan 6;8(2):187-191. doi: 10.1016/j.ncrna.2023.01.001. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Ghada Ayeldeen¹, Olfat G Shaker¹, Ahmed M Khairy², Asharef Y Elfert³, Nabil A Hasona⁴

Affiliations

¹ Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
² Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
³ Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, National Liver Institute, Menoufia University, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Egypt.

Abstract

Numerous malignancies, including colorectal and liver cancers, are ultimately more likely to occur in obese people, and chronic inflammatory conditions have been linked to this association. We are attempting to determine the clinical relevance of the mechanisms controlling the microRNA (miR-215 and miR-146a) expression and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/interleukin-6 (IL-6) in a cross-link axis between obesity and colorectal cancer (CRC). Study participants were divided into four groups: healthy controls; obese without colorectal cancer; non-obese colorectal cancer; and obese with colorectal cancer. Obese and CRC patients had markedly higher expression of IL-6 and TGF-β, as well as tumor biomarkers, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 19.9 (CA19.9), and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels. The relative expression of microRNAs (miR-215 and miR-146a) was significantly lower in obese patients with colorectal cancer. BMI and the microRNAs(miR-215 and miR-146a) showed a substantial negative correlation. TGF-β was favorably linked with IL-6, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and BMI. High levels of TGF-β and IL-6 in the blood indicate how intensely inflammation develops in obesity, which could increase the risk of colorectal cancer.

Keywords: BMI; Colorectal cancer; IL-6; Obesity; TGF-β; miR-146a; miR-215.