The effects of aerobic exercise on blood plasma microRNA level in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Exercise training was found to trigger various phenotypic changes related to preventing numerous diseases. Additionally, it also influences the microRNA (miRNA) levels in the circulation. These miRNAs are non-coding RNA that regulate gene expressions by suppressing or degrading their target genes. However, it is still not clear whether miRNA changes due to exercise play a role in the mechanism of exercise in preventing disease. Aim: To systematically collect and analyze the effects of aerobic exercises on plasma miRNA levels and discuss possible aerobic exercise mechanisms in preventing and controlling various chronic diseases through miRNA modification. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of articles from the Cochrane, PubMed, SAGE, and EBSCO databases with keywords related to “exercise”, “training”, and “miRNA”. Meta-analysis was conducted where possible. Results: Twelve studies were included. Acute aerobic exercise increases miR-1, miR-133a, miR-206, miR-499, miR-126, and miR-146, with most significantly decreasing within 24 h. The changes in miRNAs were influenced by the exercise intensity (miR-1), exercise duration (miR-1, miR-133a, 146a), and subject’s fitness level (miR-1, miR-133a, miR-206, miR-21). Conclusion: Besides playing a role in the process of physiological adaptation, the role of exercise in preventing and controlling various chronic diseases may occur through the pulsatile increase of various microRNAs, which have roles as tumor suppressor genes (miR-1, miR-133a, miR-206), anti-inflammatory agents (miR-126, miR-146a) and angiogenesis regulators (miR-126). © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag Italia S.r.l., part of Springer Nature.