Impact of Aging and a High-Fat Diet on Adipose-Tissue-Derived Extracellular Vesicle miRNA Profiles in Mice

Middle-aged adults have the highest obesity rates, leading to significant health complications in later years. Obesity triggers the release of altered molecules, including extracellular vesicles (EVs) from excess adipose tissue (AT), contributing to various health complications. In this study, we assessed the effects of age and a high-fat diet on AT-derived EV miRNA profiles to understand their potential roles in aging and obesity.

C57BL/6 male mice were subjected to a normal chow diet (NCD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) for either 10-12 weeks (young mice, n = 10) or 50-61 weeks (middle-aged mice, n = 12). After evaluating metabolic characteristics, peri-gonadal white AT was isolated and cultured to obtain EVs. AT-derived EV miRNAs were profiled using a NanoString miRNA panel (n = 599).

Middle-aged mice exhibited obesity regardless of diet. Young mice fed an HFD showed similar metabolic traits to middle-aged mice. In the NCD group, 131 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) emerged in middle-aged mice compared to young mice, including miR-21, miR-148a, and miR-29a, associated with cancer, neuro/psychological disorders, and reproductive diseases. In the HFD group, 55 DE-miRNAs were revealed in middle-aged mice compared to young mice. These miRNAs were associated with significantly suppressed IGF1R activity.

This study demonstrates the potential significant impact of miRNAs of AT EVs on aging- and obesity-related diseases.