Adipose tissue mRNA expression of HDAC1, HDAC3 and HDAC9 in obese women in relation to obesity indices and insulin resistance

It is well-established that an impaired adipose tissue function and morphology caused by a dysregulated gene expression contribute substantially to obesity. Nowadays, animal model studies and in vitro surveys provide evidence for possible roles of HDACs as emerging epigenetic players in the pathogenesis of obesity. However, the clinical pertinence of HDACs in the field of obesity research in humans is not yet obvious. Here, we investigated mRNA expression of HDAC1, 3 and 9 in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) of obese female participants (n = 20) and normal-weight women (n = 19). We also evaluated the association of the afore-mentioned HDACs gene expression with obesity indices, insulin resistance parameters, and other obesity-related characteristics. Our data revealed the mRNA level of HDAC1 was significantly decreased in both VAT and SAT of obese women, compared to controls. Moreover, the SAT mRNA expression of HDAC3 and VAT mRNA levels of HDAC9 were significantly lower in obese subjects than those found in controls. We observed that HDAC1 and HDAC3 expression in adipose tissue from the whole population is inversely correlated with obesity indices; BMI, waist, hip and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Moreover, we found that HDAC3 expression in adipose tissue had an inverse correlation with HOMA-IR, insulin levels, and serum concentration of hs-CRP. Moreover, VAT HDAC9 mRNA level is inversely correlated with obesity indices; BMI, waist, hip and WHtR and with HOMA-IR, insulin levels, and serum concentration of hs-CRP. Hence, it seems that decreased HDAC1,3 and 9 mRNA expression in adipose tissue might be associated with obesity and related abnormalities. However, more studies are needed to establish this concept.