miR-128-3p and miR-223-3p as Potential Biomarkers of Metabolic Dysfunction in Liver Tissue from Patients Undergoing Metabolic Bariatric Surgery

METHODS: We quantified the expression levels of four miRNAs (hsa-miR-128-3p, hsa-miR-21-3p, hsa-miR-223-3p, and hsa-let-7a) in liver samples obtained during bariatric metabolic surgery from patients with obesity and healthy controls using qPCR. Expression was normalized to hsa-miR-24-3p, selected as the most stable reference gene in our cohort. Associations between miRNA levels and clinical or demographic variables (sex, AMPs) were also explored. RESULTS: Compared with controls, patients with obesity showed significant dysregulation of hsa-miR-128-3p and hsa-miR-223-3p, independent of histological liver alterations. No consistent changes were observed for hsa-miR-21-3p or hsa-let-7a. Clinical variables, including AMPs, did not account for the observed differences. CONCLUSION: miR-128-3p and miR-223-3p are linked to obesity-related metabolic dysfunction and emerge as promising biomarkers or therapeutic targets.