O003. - ANALYSIS OF MICRORNA PROFILES IN SUBCUTANEOUS VS. VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH TOTAL ADIPOSITY AMONG GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER PATIENTS

O003.

ANALYSIS OF MICRORNA PROFILES IN SUBCUTANEOUS VS. VISCERAL ADIPOSE TISSUE AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH TOTAL ADIPOSITY AMONG GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER PATIENTS

F. Tambaro¹, G. Imbimbo^1,*, V. Pace¹, S. Orlando¹, E. Belloni², G. Nigri², V. Rizzo³, M. I. Amabile⁴, M. Muscaritoli¹, A. Molfino¹

¹Department of Translational and Precision Medicine, ²Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, ³Department of Radiological, Oncological and Pathological Sciences, ⁴Department of Surgical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

Rationale: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate adipose tissue function, but their depot-specific expression in cancer remains poorly understood. This study investigated expression levels of selected miRNAs in subcutaneous (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) from the same gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients, compared to controls.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving GI patients and controls undergoing surgery for tumor resection or non-malignant conditions. SAT and VAT samples were collected intraoperatively. Expression levels of miRNAs were analyzed using qRT-PCR. Body composition was evaluated by CT imaging to quantify total adipose tissue (TAT) and categorize participants according to adiposity level based on median values.

Results: GI patients (n=17) compared to controls (n=5) showed higher expression of miR-128 in both SAT and VAT (p<0.05), miR-155 in VAT (p<0.05), and lower miR-181a in VAT (p<0.01). Within cancer, miR-26a and miR-128 were lower in VAT than in SAT (p<0.001), while miR-155 levels were higher in VAT than in SAT (p<0.001). MiR-26a was higher in SAT regardless of adiposity level, while miR-128 and miR-144 showed depot- and adiposity-dependent variations, with notable downregulation of miR-128 in VAT from low-adiposity patients and lower miR-144 in SAT from high-adiposity individuals. MiR-155 was elevated in VAT from low-adiposity patients, whereas miR-181a expression remained unchanged across depots and adiposity levels.

Conclusion: This is the first human study comparing miRNA expression in both SAT and VAT from the same gastrointestinal cancer patients, stratified by adiposity level assessed via CT-scan, showing depot-specific miRNA regulation. Our findings indicate that VAT is particularly susceptible to inflammatory and metabolic disturbances, with miR-155 emerging as a promising biomarker of visceral fat remodeling.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared