Gao Ruoyu, Mao Jingwei
Department of Gastroenterology, First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian 116011, China.
Noncoding RNA. 2024 Aug 7;10(4):44. doi: 10.3390/ncrna10040044.
Liver fibrosis is a significant contributor to liver-related disease mortality on a global scale. Despite this, there remains a dearth of effective therapeutic interventions capable of reversing this condition. Consequently, it is imperative that we gain a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving liver fibrosis. In this regard, the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is recognized as a pivotal factor in the development and progression of liver fibrosis. The role of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in epigenetic regulation of HSCs transdifferentiation into myofibroblasts has been established, providing new insights into gene expression changes during HSCs activation. NcRNAs play a crucial role in mediating the epigenetics of HSCs, serving as novel regulators in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. As research on epigenetics expands, the connection between ncRNAs involved in HSCs activation and epigenetic mechanisms becomes more evident. These changes in gene regulation have attracted considerable attention from researchers in the field. Furthermore, epigenetics has contributed valuable insights to drug discovery and the identification of therapeutic targets for individuals suffering from liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. As such, this review offers a thorough discussion on the role of ncRNAs in the HSCs activation of liver fibrosis.
肝纤维化是全球范围内导致肝脏相关疾病死亡的一个重要因素。尽管如此,仍然缺乏能够逆转这种状况的有效治疗干预措施。因此,我们必须全面了解驱动肝纤维化的潜在机制。在这方面,肝星状细胞(HSCs)的激活被认为是肝纤维化发生和发展的关键因素。非编码RNA(ncRNAs)在肝星状细胞向肌成纤维细胞转分化的表观遗传调控中的作用已得到证实,为肝星状细胞激活过程中的基因表达变化提供了新的见解。非编码RNA在介导肝星状细胞的表观遗传学中起着关键作用,是肝纤维化发病机制中的新型调节因子。随着表观遗传学研究的扩展,参与肝星状细胞激活的非编码RNA与表观遗传机制之间的联系变得更加明显。这些基因调控变化引起了该领域研究人员的广泛关注。此外,表观遗传学为药物发现以及肝纤维化和肝硬化患者治疗靶点的识别提供了有价值的见解。因此,本综述对非编码RNA在肝纤维化肝星状细胞激活中的作用进行了全面讨论。