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Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies globally. Despite aggressive and multimodal treatment regimens, the overall survival of HCC patients remains poor. Main Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) with covalently closed structures and tissue- or organ-specific expression patterns in eukaryotes. They are highly stable and have important biological functions, including acting as microRNA sponges, protein scaffolds, transcription regulators, translation templates and interacting with RNA-binding protein. Recent advances have indicated that circRNAs present abnormal expression in HCC tissues and that their dysregulation contributes to HCC initiation and progression. Furthermore, researchers have revealed that some circRNAs might serve as diagnostic biomarkers or drug targets in clinical settings. In this review, we systematically evaluate the characteristics, biogenesis, mechanisms and functions of circRNAs in HCC and further discuss the current shortcomings and potential directions of prospective studies on liver cancer-related circRNAs. Conclusion CircRNAs are a novel class of ncRNAs that play a significant role in HCC initiation and progression, but their internal mechanisms and clinical applications need further investigation.

Our work revealed that A. muciniphila attenuated APAP-induced liver injury by alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation in the liver, and its hepatoprotective effect was accompanied by activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway and mediated by regulation of the composition and metabolic function of the intestinal microbiota. This finding suggested that the microbial community is a non-negligible impact on drug metabolism and probiotic administration could be a potential therapy for drug-induced liver injury.