Long non-coding RNA H19 in the liver-gut axis: A diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for liver diseases

Liver diseases and related complications represent an increasing source of morbidity and mortality and have become a significant economic burden worldwide. Dysregulated energy metabolism, alteration of redox homeostasis, immune responses, inflammation, fibrosis, and malfunctioning of the gut-liver axis are key driving forces of liver diseases. Emerging evidence suggested that long coding RNAs (lncRNAs) played crucial roles in the pathogenesis and development of various diseases. Among them, lncRNA H19 is a maternally expressed lncRNA and has attracted great attention in the research of liver diseases due to its extensive involvement in the epigenetic regulation, inflammation, tissue regeneration, and cancer initiation and development.

In the current review, we will first introduce the definition of lncRNA H19, the regulation of lncRNA H19 expression and molecular targets of lncRNA H19. We then summarize the recent advances of studies focusing on the role of H19 in the pathogenesis of liver diseases, including fatty liver diseases, cholestasis, fibrosis and cancer, and in the modulation of gut-liver axis.

Based on the complex roles of lncRNA H19 played in liver injury and gastrointestinal disorders, targeting H19 has great potency to become a new strategy to diagnose and treat gut- and liver-related disorders.