Abstract
The response of micro-ribonucleic acid (miRNA) expression to exercise has not been
studied in saliva, although saliva combines non-invasive collection with the largest
number of miRNA species among biological fluids and tissues. Thus, the purpose of
this study was to investigate the effect of acute exercise on the expression of 8
human saliva miRNAs involved in lipid metabolism. 19 healthy, physically active men
(VO2max, 40.9±1.6 mL·kg–1·min–1, mean±se) performed a 50-min interval exercise program on stationary bicycle (spinning). Saliva
samples were collected before and after exercise for miRNA expression analysis by
real-time polymerase chain reaction. Statistically significant (p<0.05) changes after exercise were found in 2 of the 8 miRNAs, namely, hsa-miR-33a
(fold change, 7.66±2.94; p=0.012), which regulates cholesterol homeostasis and fatty acid metabolism in the
liver, and hsa-miR-378a (fold change 0.79±0.11, p=0.048), which regulates energy homeostasis and affects lipogenesis and adipogenesis.
These alterations may contribute to our understanding of physiological responses to
exercise and the therapeutic potential of exercise against cardiovascular disease,
obesity, and the metabolic syndrome. Moreover, our findings open the possibility of
noninvasively studying miRNAs that regulate the function of specific organs.
Key words
hsa-miR-33a - hsa-miR-378a - real-time polymerase chain reaction - spinning exercise
