Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece.
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 23;24(3):2233. doi: 10.3390/ijms24032233.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of non-coding RNAs that play a critical role in regulating epigenetic mechanisms in inflammation-related diseases. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), which primarily include ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), are characterized by chronic recurrent inflammation of intestinal tissues. Due to the multifactorial etiology of these diseases, the development of innovative treatment strategies that can effectively maintain remission and alleviate disease symptoms is a major challenge. In recent years, evidence for the regulatory role of miRNAs in the pathogenetic mechanisms of various diseases, including IBD, has been accumulating. In light of these findings, miRNAs represent potential innovative candidates for therapeutic application in IBD. In this review, we discuss recent findings on the role of miRNAs in regulating inflammatory responses, maintaining intestinal barrier integrity, and developing fibrosis in clinical and experimental IBD. The focus is on the existing literature, indicating potential therapeutic application of miRNAs in both preclinical experimental IBD models and translational data in the context of clinical IBD. To date, a large and diverse data set, which is growing rapidly, supports the potential use of miRNA-based therapies in clinical practice, although many questions remain unanswered.
微小 RNA（miRNAs）是一组非编码 RNA，在调节与炎症相关疾病的表观遗传机制中起着关键作用。炎症性肠病（IBD）主要包括溃疡性结肠炎（UC）和克罗恩病（CD），其特征是肠道组织的慢性复发性炎症。由于这些疾病的多因素病因，开发能够有效维持缓解和减轻疾病症状的创新治疗策略是一个主要挑战。近年来，越来越多的证据表明 miRNAs 在包括 IBD 在内的各种疾病的发病机制中具有调节作用。鉴于这些发现，miRNAs 代表了在 IBD 中治疗应用的潜在创新候选物。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了最近关于 miRNAs 在调节炎症反应、维持肠道屏障完整性和在临床和实验性 IBD 中发展纤维化方面的作用的发现。重点是现有文献，表明 miRNAs 在临床 IBD 的临床前实验性 IBD 模型和转化数据中具有潜在的治疗应用。迄今为止，一个庞大且多样化的数据集合，并且还在迅速增长，支持 miRNA 为基础的治疗在临床实践中的应用，尽管仍有许多问题尚未得到解答。
