Central obesity is one of the defining features of metabolic syndrome (MetS). MetS comprises a cluster of metabolic disturbances including insulin resistance (IR), hypertension, and altered glucose, lipid, and fatty acid metabolism. These alterations are characterized by reduced levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) commonly referred to as “good cholesterol” and increased levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad cholesterol”. While HDL protects against cardiovascular disease (CVD), elevated LDL increases disease risk. Collectively, these metabolic abnormalities raise the risk of developing type-2 diabetes (T2D), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and CVDs. The raising global incidence of MetS is largely attributed to sedentary lifestyles, westernization, and the consumption of energy-dense processed foods, making it a growing public health concern across the globe. In recent years microRNAs (miRNAs), which are small non-coding RNA molecules (18 to 25 nucleotides), have emerged as important regulators of post-transcriptional gene expression in metabolic and inflammatory pathways. Among these, miR-155 have received considerable attention for its role in immune activation, inflammatory signalling, cancer, and energy balance. MiR-155 modulates key genes involved in insulin signalling, glucose metabolism, and metabolic homeostasis, thereby contributing to overall metabolic control. Given these roles, circulating miR-155 has arisen as a promising non-invasive biomarker for metabolic abnormalities and a potential therapeutic target in MetS. This review highlights the multifaceted roles of miR-155 and summarizes accumulating evidence supporting its central involvement in the physiological and pathological mechanisms underlying MetS, with implications for early diagnosis and therapeutic development.
Panchakshari et al. (Sun,) studied this question.