Experimental Gerontology · Jul 27, 2026

Serum 25(OH) vitamin D and SIRT1- VDR- miR-124 expression: A controlled interventional study in a vitamin D-deficient male rat model

By Dhar P, Moodithaya S, Bhandary P et al.

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic aging is a new dimensional advancement in geroscience that continually addresses factors beyond genetic determinants of longevity. It occurs through three conventional pathways, one of which is non-coding RNA production. miR-124 is a newly introduced miRNA that was found in aged skin and several tumorigenic cells and is associated with aging. Additionally, SIRT1, a protein from the NAD⁺-dependent family, is found to have a protective mechanism in the pathways of aging. On the other hand, vitamin D works as an epigenetic factor and often targets pathways related to the aging process. In this study, the aim is to identify the expression of miR-124 in circulating blood to address the epigenetic-related biomarker and link the facets with anti-aging SIRT1 and vitamin D cognate receptor (VDR) to understand vitamin D deficiency interception. METHODS: A vitamin D deficiency middle-aged rat model was developed by assigning male Albino Wistar Rats. Paricalcitol was administered IP (intraperitoneal) to the experimental group (32 ng/day) to induce deficiency, along with a calcium-rich rescue diet. The study was conducted for 21 days following blood collection and storage. ELISA and RTqPCR were performed to estimate serum 25(OH)D and gene expression analysis, respectively. RESULT: 25(OH)D comparison between the group p-value of 0.002. The log2 fold changes of SIRT1, VDR, and miR-124 were compared between the groups using boxplot visualisation. A linear regression model was developed to understand the explorative nature of aging index (R² = 0.561; Adjusted R² = 0.517; p = 0.005; n = 12). CONCLUSION: A putative epigenetic relation was found between miR-124 levels and their association with SIRT1. The investigated biomarkers of aging are associated with serum concentration of 25(OH) vitamin D in a middle-aged vitamin D-deficient rat model, which supports the need for mechanistic investigation in future studies.

doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2026.113254 Open access PubMed 42508623 Mechanisms