Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Apr;237(4):2078-2094.
doi: 10.1002/jcp.30699. Epub 2022 Feb 8.

The role of exosomal miRNA in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Ali Mahmoudi  1 , Alexandra E Butler  2 , Tannaz Jamialahmadi  3 , Amirhossein Sahebkar  4   5   6   7
Affiliations
Review

The role of exosomal miRNA in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Ali Mahmoudi et al. J Cell Physiol. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) impacts more than one-third of the population and is linked with other metabolic diseases. The term encompasses a wide spectrum of diseases, from modest steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, fibrosis and, ultimately, cirrhosis with the potential for development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, available methods for diagnosing NAFLD are invasive or lack accuracy, and monitoring to determine response to therapeutic interventions is challenging. Exosomes are nano-scaled extracellular vesicles that are secreted by a variety of cells. They convey proteins, mRNA, miRNA, and other bioactive molecules between cells and are involved in an extensive range of biological processes, particularly cell-cell communication. Several reports suggest that exosomes mediate miRNAs and, thus, they have potential clinical utility for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics in liver diseases. In view of the vital role of exosomal microRNA in disease, we here synthesized current knowledge about the biogenesis of exosomal miRNA and exosome-mediated microRNA transfer. We then discuss the potential of exosomal miRNA in diagnosis and therapeutics of NAFLD.

Keywords: NAFLD; biomarker; exosome; miRNA; therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

REFERENCES

    1. Akers, J. C., Gonda, D., Kim, R., Carter, B. S., & Chen, C. C. (2013). Biogenesis of extracellular vesicles (EV): Exosomes, microvesicles, retrovirus-like vesicles, and apoptotic bodies. Journal of Neuro-Oncology, 113(1), 1-11.
    1. Akuta, N., & Kawamura, Y. (2019). Impact of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor on histological features and glucose metabolism of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease complicated by diabetes mellitus. Hepatology Research, 49(5), 531-539.
    1. Arrese, M., Cabrera, D., Kalergis, A. M., & Feldstein, A. E. (2016). Innate Immunity and Inflammation in NAFLD/NASH. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 61(5), 1294-1303.
    1. Babaev, V. R., Huang, J., Ding, L., Zhang, Y., May, J. M., & Linton, M. F. (2018). Loss of rictor in monocyte/macrophages suppresses their proliferation and viability reducing atherosclerosis in LDLR null mice. Frontiers in Immunology, 9, 215.
    1. Bala, S., Petrasek, J., Mundkur, S., Catalano, D., Levin, I., Ward, J., Alao, H., Kodys, K., & Szabo, G. (2012). Circulating microRNAs in exosomes indicate hepatocyte injury and inflammation in alcoholic, drug-induced, and inflammatory liver diseases. Hepatology, 56(5), 1946-1957.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources