Inflammation-related lncRNAs in the regulation of kidney injuries; special emphasis on novel lncRNA-based delivery platforms.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are distinguished by having a length of over 200 nucleotides and no protein-coding ability. The molecular functions of lncRNAs are diverse and include regulating the activity of small RNAs and proteins, guiding the process of epigenetic alterations, and serving as enhancer RNAs. Moreover, they have a very tissue-specific pattern of expression. These factors already suggest that lncRNAs have a significant function in cellular biology and are involved in development, health, and illness. Moreover, the development and progression of a wide range of complex human illnesses, including kidney-related disease, are fundamentally influenced by the dysregulated expression of various lncRNAs. Since lncRNAs are involved in a number of disease-related processes, including nephron and podocyte injury, inflammation, renal fibrosis, renal vascular changes, transition from acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease, pyroptosis, apoptosis, and sepsis, they may be potential targets for the next-generation drug development against kidney-related diseases. Therefore, this review comprehensively discusses the most recent research on the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic inferences of several lncRNAs in the pathophysiological context of various kidney injuries through regulating inflammation. Also, considering that lncRNAs have high molecular weight and conserved secondary structure, which makes the delivery of lncRNAs more complicated, we summarize novel lncRNA-based delivery strategies, including LV-, LNP-, and EV-based delivery systems.