title: Are microRNAs the Molecular Link Between Metabolic Syndrome and Alzheimer's Disease?
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in people over 65 years of age. At present, treatment options for AD address only its symptoms, and there are no available treatments for the prevention or delay of the disease process. Several preclinical and epidemiological studies have linked metabolic risk factors such as hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, and diabetes to the pathogenesis of AD. However, the molecular mechanisms that underlie this relationship are not fully understood. Considering that less than 1% of cases of AD are attributable to genetic factors, the identification of new molecular targets linking metabolic risk factors to neuropathological processes is necessary for improving the diagnosis and treatment of AD. The dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs), small non-coding RNAs that regulate several biological processes, has been implicated in the development of different pathologies. In this review, we summarize some of the relevant evidence that points to the role of miRNAs in metabolic syndrome (MetS) and AD and propose that miRNAs may be a molecular link in the complex relationship between both diseases.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Envejecimiento y Regeneración (CARE), Departamento de Biología Celular, Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Juan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Codocedo
authors.affiliation: Centro de Envejecimiento y Regeneración (CARE), Departamento de Biología Celular, Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Juvenal A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ríos
authors.affiliation: Centro de Envejecimiento y Regeneración (CARE), Departamento de Biología Celular, Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Godoy
authors.affiliation: Centro de Envejecimiento y Regeneración (CARE), Departamento de Biología Celular, Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. ninestrosa@bio.puc.cl.|Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. ninestrosa@bio.puc.cl.|Centro UC Síndrome de Down, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. ninestrosa@bio.puc.cl.|Centro de excelencia en Biomedicina de Magallanes (CEBIMA), Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile. ninestrosa@bio.puc.cl.|CARE Biomedical Research Center, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Av. Alameda 340, Santiago, Chile. ninestrosa@bio.puc.cl.
authors.forename: Nibaldo C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Inestrosa
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000235:genetics*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Lifestyle; Metabolic syndrome; microRNA