title: Circulating microRNAs: emerging biomarkers of liver disease.
abstract: Development of reliable, noninvasive biomarkers that allow for diagnosis, risk stratification, and monitoring of disease changes over time or in response to specific therapies represents a key priority in the field of hepatology. Recent evidence has uncovered the role of microRNAs as potential ideal biomarkers of liver injury in various acute and chronic liver diseases. These small noncoding RNAs are released to the extracellular space in a stress-specific manner and are remarkably stable in most bodily fluids including blood, where they circulate in specific compartments including extracellular vesicles and protein complexes. In this review, the authors provide a concise overview of available information on the emerging role of quantitation of circulating microRNAs in different liver diseases and their use as biomarkers for both diagnosis and prognosis assessment. Additionally, several key issues that still need to be addressed for microRNAs to become useful tools in daily clinical practice are critically reviewed.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Arrese
authors: Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Rady Children's Hospital, University of California San Diego, California.
authors: Akiko
authors: A
authors: Eguchi
authors: Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Rady Children's Hospital, University of California San Diego, California.
authors: Ariel E
authors: AE
authors: Feldstein
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D035683:MicroRNAs