Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and MicroRNAs: A Weighty Consideration

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous, noncoding RNA molecules that regulate the expression of their target genes. The biological functions of miRNAs have been explored considerably. Numerous studies have demonstrated that extracellular miRNA could be implemented as a biomarker for several diseases. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease worldwide. NAFLD embodies an array of defects extending from elementary steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which might advance to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma, which are closely linked to increased activity hepatic morbidity and mortality. Liver biopsy is acknowledged as the most precise practice for diagnosis and staging of NAFLD. Invasive drawbacks have prompted the likelihood of introducing an alternative noninvasive approach for consideration. Several lines of evidence have revealed that miRNAs are emerging as a potentially useful noninvasive marker for the development and progression of NAFLD. In addition, recent studies have identified that miRNAs take part in lipid metabolism linked to NAFLD and its advancement to severity. This article reviews the contemporary corroboration associating miRNAs and NAFLD and emphasizes the potential role of miRNA as a circulatory biomarker that could alert the growing prevalence of NAFLD. Furthermore, it acknowledges the valuable compendium of information regarding biogenesis and the role of circulating miRNA in lipid metabolism, which is intimately linked to NAFLD.