scholarly journals The Osteoporosis/Microbiota Linkage: The Role of miRNA

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 8887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimo De Martinis ◽  
Lia Ginaldi ◽  
Alessandro Allegra ◽  
Maria Maddalena Sirufo ◽  
Giovanni Pioggia ◽  
...  

Hundreds of trillions of bacteria are present in the human body in a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship with the host. A stable dynamic equilibrium exists in healthy individuals between the microbiota, host organism, and environment. Imbalances of the intestinal microbiota contribute to the determinism of various diseases. Recent research suggests that the microbiota is also involved in the regulation of the bone metabolism, and its alteration may induce osteoporosis. Due to modern molecular biotechnology, various mechanisms regulating the relationship between bone and microbiota are emerging. Understanding the role of microbiota imbalances in the development of osteoporosis is essential for the development of potential osteoporosis prevention and treatment strategies through microbiota targeting. A relevant complementary mechanism could be also constituted by the permanent relationships occurring between microbiota and microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs are a set of small non-coding RNAs able to regulate gene expression. In this review, we recapitulate the physiological and pathological meanings of the microbiota on osteoporosis onset by governing miRNA production. An improved comprehension of the relations between microbiota and miRNAs could furnish novel markers for the identification and monitoring of osteoporosis, and this appears to be an encouraging method for antagomir-guided tactics as therapeutic agents.

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2878
Author(s):  
Claudia Maria Hattinger ◽  
Maria Pia Patrizio ◽  
Leonardo Fantoni ◽  
Chiara Casotti ◽  
Chiara Riganti ◽  
...  

High-grade osteosarcoma (HGOS), the most common primary malignant tumor of bone, is a highly aggressive neoplasm with a cure rate of approximately 40–50% in unselected patient populations. The major clinical problems opposing the cure of HGOS are the presence of inherent or acquired drug resistance and the development of metastasis. Since the drugs used in first-line chemotherapy protocols for HGOS and clinical outcome have not significantly evolved in the past three decades, there is an urgent need for new therapeutic biomarkers and targeted treatment strategies, which may increase the currently available spectrum of cure modalities. Unresponsive or chemoresistant (refractory) HGOS patients usually encounter a dismal prognosis, mostly because therapeutic options and drugs effective for rescue treatments are scarce. Tailored treatments for different subgroups of HGOS patients stratified according to drug resistance-related biomarkers thus appear as an option that may improve this situation. This review explores drug resistance-related biomarkers, therapeutic targets and new candidate treatment strategies, which have emerged in HGOS. In addition to consolidated biomarkers, specific attention has been paid to the role of non-coding RNAs, tumor-derived extracellular vesicles, and cancer stem cells as contributors to drug resistance in HGOS, in order to highlight new candidate markers and therapeutic targets. The possible use of new non-conventional drugs to overcome the main mechanisms of drug resistance in HGOS are finally discussed.


2020 ◽  
pp. 107385842097571
Author(s):  
Darakhshan Jabeen Haleem

There is growing increase in the global prevalence of depression, but treatment outcome of this highly disabling disease is not satisfactory. Many patients are not benefitted by the currently prescribed antidepressants—together with this partial remission is very common. Improving treatment strategies and developing better therapeutic agents for treating depression is therefore highly needed. Stress-related epigenetic changes play a critical role in the pathogenesis as well as treatment of depression. Stressful events activate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to increase circulating levels of glucocorticoids (GCs), and a greater sensitivity to this fright and flight response increases risk of depression. A role of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) in responses to stress and in the pathogenesis and treatment of depression is well established. Substantial evidence supports a critical role of 5-HT1A receptors in these effects of 5-HT. The present article targets stress-induced higher and sustained increases of GCs and mediated influences on the physiological as well transcriptional regulation of 5-HT1A receptors to evaluate their causal role in the pathogenesis of depression. It is suggested that synthetic compounds with antagonist activity for GC receptors and agonist activity for 5-HT1A receptors may prove better therapeutic agents for treating depression.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bogusław Nedoszytko ◽  
Edyta Reszka ◽  
Danuta Gutowska-Owsiak ◽  
Magdalena Trzeciak ◽  
Magdalena Lange ◽  
...  

Atopic dermatitis is a heterogeneous disease, in which the pathogenesis is associated with mutations in genes encoding epidermal structural proteins, barrier enzymes, and their inhibitors; the role of genes regulating innate and adaptive immune responses and environmental factors inducing the disease is also noted. Recent studies point to the key role of epigenetic changes in the development of the disease. Epigenetic modifications are mainly mediated by DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and the action of specific non-coding RNAs. It has been documented that the profile of epigenetic changes in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) differs from that observed in healthy people. This applies to the genes affecting the regulation of immune response and inflammatory processes, e.g., both affecting Th1 bias and promoting Th2 responses and the genes of innate immunity, as well as those encoding the structural proteins of the epidermis. Understanding of the epigenetic alterations is therefore pivotal to both create new molecular classifications of atopic dermatitis and to enable the development of personalized treatment strategies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 233-239
Author(s):  
Xu Hui ◽  
Hisham Al-Ward ◽  
Fahmi Shaher ◽  
Chun-Yang Liu ◽  
Ning Liu

<b><i>Background:</i></b> MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a group of non-coding RNAs measuring 19–23 nucleotides in length and are recognized as powerful molecules that regulate gene expression in eukaryotic cells. miRNAs stimulate the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression via direct or indirect mechanisms. <b><i>Summary:</i></b> miR-210 is highly upregulated in cells under hypoxia, thereby revealing its significance to cell endurance. Induction of this mRNA expression is an important feature of the cellular low-oxygen response and the most consistent and vigorous target of HIF. <b><i>Key Message:</i></b> miR-210 is involved in many cellular functions under the effect of HIF-1α, including the cell cycle, DNA repair, immunity and inflammation, angiogenesis, metabolism, and macrophage regulation. It also plays an important regulatory role in T-cell differentiation and stimulation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2549
Author(s):  
Giulia Radocchia ◽  
Bruna Neroni ◽  
Massimiliano Marazzato ◽  
Elena Capuzzo ◽  
Simone Zuccari ◽  
...  

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) is a rare clinical syndrome characterized by severe impairment of gastrointestinal (GI) motility, and its symptoms are suggestive of partial or complete intestinal obstruction in the absence of any lesion restricting the intestinal lumen. Diagnosis and therapy of CIPO patients still represent a significant challenge for clinicians, despite their efforts to improve diagnostic workup and treatment strategies for this disease. The purpose of this review is to better understand what is currently known about the relationship between CIPO patients and intestinal microbiota, with a focus on the role of the enteric nervous system (ENS) and the intestinal endocrine system (IES) in intestinal motility, underling the importance of further studies to deeply understand the causes of gut motility dysfunction in these patients.


MicroRNA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Lin ◽  
Kebin Hu

: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (19~25 nucleotides) that regulate gene expression at a post-transcriptional level through repression of mRNA translation or mRNA decay. miR-147, which was initially discovered in mouse spleen and macrophages, has been shown to correlate with coronary atherogenesis and inflammatory bowel disease and modulate macrophage functions and inflammation through TLR-4. The altered miR-147 level has been shown in various human diseases, including infectious disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, a neurodegenerative disorder, etc. This review will focus on the current understanding regarding the role of miR-147 in inflammation and diseases.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Yuanqiang Ma ◽  
Gyurim Lee ◽  
Su-Young Heo ◽  
Yoon-Seok Roh

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease worldwide, and scientific studies consistently report that NAFLD development can be accelerated by oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can induce the progression of NAFLD to NASH by stimulating Kupffer cells, hepatic stellate cells, and hepatocytes. Therefore, studies are underway to identify the role of antioxidants in the treatment of NAFLD. In this review, we have summarized the origins of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells, the relationship between ROS and NAFLD, and have discussed the use of antioxidants as therapeutic agents for NAFLD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-91
Author(s):  
Mahta Moraghebi ◽  
Milad Rafat ◽  
Pegah Mousavi ◽  
Kianoosh Malekzadeh

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a large family of small non-coding RNAs which regulate gene expression at the surface following transcription. They are widely involved in many physiological and pathological processes including polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is an endocrine disorder in women. Currently, there is no comprehensive information about the role of miRNAs in PCOS. Thus, this paper has attempted to collate studies on miRNAs in order to determine important changes in their miRNA expression profile in the total blood, serum, plasma, follicular fluid, and granulosa cells in PCOS patients alongside the genes which are targeted for regulation by these miRNAs. This study presents a new approach for using miRNAs and their target genes for diagnosing and treating PCOS.


Author(s):  
Jing-Li Xu ◽  
Li Yuan ◽  
Yan-Cheng Tang ◽  
Zhi-Yuan Xu ◽  
Han-Dong Xu ◽  
...  

Gastric cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Drug resistance is the main inevitable and vital factor leading to a low 5-year survival rate for patients with gastric cancer. Autophagy, as a highly conserved homeostatic pathway, is mainly regulated by different proteins and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and plays dual roles in drug resistance of gastric cancer. Thus, targeting key regulatory nodes in the process of autophagy by small molecule inhibitors or activators has become one of the most promising strategies for the treatment of gastric cancer in recent years. In this review, we provide a systematic summary focusing on the relationship between autophagy and chemotherapy resistance in gastric cancer. We comprehensively discuss the roles and molecular mechanisms of multiple proteins and the emerging ncRNAs including miRNAs and lncRNAs in the regulation of autophagy pathways and gastric cancer chemoresistance. We also summarize the regulatory effects of autophagy inhibitor and activators on gastric cancer chemoresistance. Understanding the vital roles of autophagy in gastric cancer chemoresistance will provide novel opportunities to develop promising therapeutic strategies for gastric cancer.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana M. O. Santos ◽  
Sara Peixoto da Silva ◽  
Rui M. Gil da Costa ◽  
Rui Medeiros

Cancer cachexia or wasting is a paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by systemic inflammation and an involuntary loss of body mass that cannot be reversed by normal nutritional support. This syndrome affects 50%–80% of cancer patients, depending on the tumor type and patient characteristics, and it is responsible for up to 20% of cancer deaths. MicroRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) with 19 to 24 nucleotides in length of which the function is to regulate gene expression. In the last years, microRNAs and other ncRNAs have been demonstrated to have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of several diseases and clinical potential. Recently, ncRNAs have begun to be associated with cancer cachexia by modulating essential functions like the turnover of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Additionally, circulating microRNAs have been suggested as potential biomarkers for patients at risk of developing cancer cachexia. In this review article, we present recent data concerning the role of microRNAs and other ncRNAs in cancer cachexia pathogenesis and their possible clinical relevance.


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