Discipline of Physiology, School of Medicine, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2020 May;23(3):157-163. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000645.
Muscle wasting in cancer cachexia remains an unmet clinical need due to lack of effective therapies associated with the complexity of the disease. Here, we discuss microRNAs, robust regulators of the expression of multiple genes, only recently characterized in cancer cachexia in humans and their therapeutic potential for muscle wasting.
Changes in microRNAs in muscle of cancer patients have been demonstrated for the first time and these are associated with dysregulated signalling networks during muscle wasting. These data, together with studies in animal models, indicate that microRNAs are attractive therapeutic candidates for maintaining muscle mass, both during and following cancer treatment ultimately improving patient outcomes.
Cancer cachexia is a complex metabolic condition associated with muscle wasting. Maintenance of muscle mass in cancer patients can improve their response to therapy and prognosis. microRNAs, which can act as oncogenes or tumour suppressors, are also dysregulated in muscle of cachexia patients. Studies in animal models of muscle wasting have demonstrated that microRNAs regulate muscle mass and strength. With more microRNA-based therapeutics in clinical trials and first RNA drugs approved, microRNAs present an attractive novel therapeutic avenue for maintaining muscle homeostasis in cachexia patients to improve their prognosis.
由于缺乏与疾病复杂性相关的有效治疗方法，癌症恶病质导致的肌肉减少仍然是未满足的临床需求。在这里，我们讨论了 microRNAs，这是一种强大的多个基因表达调控因子，最近才在人类癌症恶病质中得到描述，及其在肌肉减少症治疗方面的潜力。
首次证明了癌症患者肌肉中的 microRNAs 发生了变化，这些变化与肌肉减少期间失调的信号网络有关。这些数据，连同动物模型研究，表明 microRNAs 是维持肌肉质量的有吸引力的治疗候选物，无论是在癌症治疗期间还是之后，最终都能改善患者的预后。
癌症恶病质是一种与肌肉减少相关的复杂代谢状况。维持癌症患者的肌肉质量可以提高他们对治疗的反应和预后。microRNAs 也在恶病质患者的肌肉中失调，它们可以作为癌基因或肿瘤抑制因子发挥作用。在肌肉减少症的动物模型研究中，已经证明 microRNAs 调节肌肉质量和力量。随着更多基于 microRNA 的治疗方法进入临床试验阶段，以及第一批 RNA 药物获得批准，microRNAs 为维持恶病质患者的肌肉平衡提供了一个有吸引力的新治疗途径，以改善他们的预后。
