Research progress of lncRNA and miRNA in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury

Background: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury(HIRI) is a common complication of liver surgeries, such as hepatectomy and liver transplantation. In recent years, several non-coding RNAs(nc RNAs) including long non-coding RNAs(lnc RNAs) and micro RNAs(mi RNAs) have been identified as factors involved in the pathological progression of HIRI. In this review, we summarized the latest research on lnc RNAs, mi RNAs and the lnc RNA-mi RNA regulatory networks in HIRI. Data sources: The Pub Med and Web of Science databases were searched for articles published up to December 2021 using the following keywords: “hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury”, “lnc RNA”, “long noncoding RNA”, “mi RNA” and “micro RNA”. The bibliography of the selected articles was manually screened to identify additional studies. Results: The mechanism of HIRI is complex, and involves multiple lnc RNAs and mi RNAs. The roles of lnc RNAs such as AK139328, CCAT1, MALAT1, TUG1 and NEAT1 have been established in HIRI. In addition, numerous mi RNAs are associated with apoptosis, autophagy, oxidative stress and cellular inflammation that accompany HIRI pathogenesis. Based on the literature, we conclude that four lnc RNA-mi RNA regulatory networks mediate the pathological progression of HIRI. Furthermore, the expression levels of some lnc RNAs and mi RNAs undergo significant changes during the progression of HIRI, and thus are potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets. Conclusions: Complex lnc RNA-mi RNA-m RNA networks regulate HIRI progression through mutual activation and antagonism. It is necessary to screen for more HIRI-associated lnc RNAs and mi RNAs in order to identify novel therapeutic targets.