MicroRNAs: New therapeutic targets for intestinal barrier dysfunction

Defects in intestinal barrier function characterized by an increase in intestinal permeability contribute to intestinal inflammation. Growing evidence has shown that an increase in intestinal permeability has a pathogenic role in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and celiac disease, and functional bowel disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. Therefore, clarification of the inflammatory responses, the defense pathway and the corresponding regulatory system is essential and may lead to the development of new therapies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (19-22 nt) noncoding RNA molecules that regulate genes at the post-transcriptional level by base-pairing to specific messenger RNAs for degradation to repress translation. Recent studies suggested that miRNAs are important in the immune response and mediate a critical role in multiple immune response-related disorders. Based on these discoveries, attention has been focused on understanding the role of miRNAs in regulating intestinal barrier dysfunction, especially in IBD. Here, we provide a review of the most recent state-of-the-art research on miRNAs in intestinal barrier dysfunction.