Title:The Critical Role of microRNA-21 in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Pathogenesis
Volume: 29
Issue: 12
Author(s): Mingjing Liu, Ting Lu, Yuanling Bai, Xingyu Han, Wanyi Zhang, Lei Zhang, Shudan Chen, Chen Lin, Chaoqi Liu*Chengfu Yuan*
Affiliation:
- College of Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, China
- College of Medical Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, Hubei, China
Keywords:
microRNAs, microRNA-21, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, target gene, signal pathway, bioinformatics.
Abstract: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has received worldwide scientific attention because of its
rapidly increasing prevalence, and it has emerged as a serious public health problem in end-stage liver disease.
Many factors are involved in the multifactorial development and progression of liver disease by influencing
multiple signaling and metabolic pathways. Currently, many studies have demonstrated the critical role of microRNA-
21 (miR-21) in NAFLD pathogenesis. In addition, many studies have found that miR-21 is highly expressed
in inflammatory bowel disease, which is associated with intestinal barrier dysfunction and altered gut
microbiota. In this paper, we focus on the regulatory role of miR-21 in the progression of NAFLD and its effect
on the gut microbiota, summarize the involvement of miR-21 through a variety of signaling pathways and
metabolic pathways, as well as discuss some predicted miR-21 target genes and miR-21 pathways for future experimental
identification.
