Insight into the Inter-Organ Crosstalk and Prognostic Role of Liver-Derived MicroRNAs in Metabolic Disease Progression

Abstract

Dysfunctional hepatic metabolism has been linked to numerous diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common chronic liver disorder worldwide, which can progress to hepatic fibrosis, and is closely associated with insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the liver secretes a wide array of metabolites, biomolecules, and microRNAs (miRNAs) and many of these secreted factors exert significant effects on metabolic processes both in the liver and in peripheral tissues. In this review, we summarize the involvement of liver-derived miRNAs in biological processes with an emphasis on delineating the communication between the liver and other tissues associated with metabolic disease progression. Furthermore, the review identifies the primary molecular targets by which miRNAs act. These consolidated findings from numerous studies provide insight into the underlying mechanism of various metabolic disease progression and suggest the possibility of using circulatory miRNAs as prognostic predictors and therapeutic targets for improving clinical intervention strategies.

MicroRNAs and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: A Review

“…A single miRNA may regulate hundreds of genes, and a single gene can be modulated by several miRNAs. miRNAs, which play a central role in epigenetic regulation, bind to and degrade the 3 -UTR of target mRNAs, thereby regulating gene expression, which plays an important role in the onset and progression of NAFLD [14][15][16][17]. miRNAs are known to play important roles in various biological phenomena such as apoptosis, cell division, and cell differentiation [18][19][20][21][22].…”

Circulatory miRNAs as Correlates of Elevated Intra-Pancreatic Fat Deposition in a Mixed Ethnic Female Cohort: The TOFI_Asia Study

“…MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are integral molecular negative regulators of transcriptional processes, with evidence that dysregulated circulatory miRNA abundances contribute to pathophysiological processes associated with the onset of metabolic diseases such as pancreatitis, insulin resistance (IR), liver fat deposition and IPFD [ 13 , 14 ]. miRNA expression is reported to be tissue-specific, although there is evidence for bidirectional crosstalk between metabolically active organs such as the pancreas and liver [ 15 , 16 ]. For example, circulatory miR-375 [ 17 ], an islet-cell-enriched miRNA and a critical regulator of β-cell function [ 18 ], has been reported to be involved in the development of non-alcoholic liver steatosis [ 19 ].…”