Micrornas as Pharmacogenomic Biomarkers for Drug Efficacy and Drug Safety Assessment

Abstract

Much evidence has documented that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in the modulation of interindividual variability in the production of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters (DMETs) and nuclear receptors (NRs) through multidirectional interactions involving environmental stimuli/stressors, the expression of miRNA molecules and genetic polymorphisms. MiRNA expression has been reported to be affected by drugs and miRNAs themselves may affect drug metabolism and toxicity. In cancer research, miRNA biomarkers have been identified to mediate intrinsic and acquired resistance to cancer therapies. In drug safety assessment, miRNAs have been found associated with cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. This review article summarizes published studies to show that miRNAs can serve as early biomarkers for the evaluation of drug efficacy and drug safety.

Keywords::

• biomarker
• cardiotoxicity
• drug efficacy
• drug metabolizing enzymes
• drug safety
• hepatotoxicity
• microRNA
• nephrotoxicity

Financial & competing interests disclosure

I Koturbash would like to acknowledge financial support from the National Institutes of Health Center of Biological Research Excellence (grant number 1P20GM109005); NIH UAMS Clinical and Translational Science Award (grant numbers UL1TR000039, KL2TR000063) and Arkansas Biosciences Institute. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Disclaimer

The views presented in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the US FDA.

Additional information

Funding

I Koturbash would like to acknowledge financial support from the National Institutes of Health Center of Biological Research Excellence (grant number 1P20GM109005); NIH UAMS Clinical and Translational Science Award (grant numbers UL1TR000039, KL2TR000063) and Arkansas Biosciences Institute. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.