Circulating miRNAs as Intercellular Messengers, Potential Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets for Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

miRNAs have emerged as key epigenetic regulators of metabolism. Their deregulation contributes to metabolic abnormalities, proposing their potential role as therapeutic targets for Type 2 diabetes. The exciting finding that miRNAs exist in the bloodstream suggests that circulating miRNAs may act in a hormone-like fashion. Despite the fact that significant progress has been made in understanding circulating miRNAs, this topic is full of complexities and many questions remain unanswered. The goal of this review is to bring together up-to-date knowledge about circulating miRNAs and their role as intercellular communicators as well as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in metabolic diseases, providing examples of possible clinical applications for circulating miRNAs in diabetes and cardiovascular complications.

Keywords::

• biomarkers
• cell-to-cell communication
• circulating miRNAs
• therapeutic targets
• Type 2 diabetes

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work has been supported by the Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca Scientifica (grants PRIN and FIRB-MERIT, and PON 01_02460) and by the Società Italiana di Diabetologia (SID-FO.DI.RI). This work was also supported by the P.O.R. Campania FSE 2007–2013, Project CREMe. A fellowship by the Società Italiana di Diabetologia (SID-FO.DI.RI-MSD 2014) was awarded to P Mirra, the author of this review, for the year 2015. 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.

Additional information

Funding

This work has been supported by the Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca Scientifica (grants PRIN and FIRB-MERIT, and PON 01_02460) and by the Società Italiana di Diabetologia (SID-FO.DI.RI). This work was also supported by the P.O.R. Campania FSE 2007–2013, Project CREMe. A fellowship by the Società Italiana di Diabetologia (SID-FO.DI.RI-MSD 2014) was awarded to P Mirra, the author of this review, for the year 2015. 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.