Role of Non-Coding RNAs in Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Therapy of Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease: A Systematic Review

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease (LCPD) is sterile necrosis of the femoral head, being one of the most common such diseases in children. Non-coding RNAs have been implicated as new factors involved in it. These are transcripts without the potential to encode proteins, influencing gene expression, taking part in the development of diseases, and being both diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. A systematic review of publications from 1993 to 2025 available in online databases was conducted, including 8 articles in the analysis. Non-coding RNAs play their role in the pathogenesis of LCPD by enhancing cell apoptosis, by inhibiting angiogenesis and promoting ischemia, and by enhancing inflammatory reactions mediated by reduced polarization of macrophages M2. Moreover, abnormalities in their expression levels in patients' serum appear to be good potential diagnostic markers of the disease. Some of them, such as miR-206, miR-214, and miR-223-5p, also have the potential to be used as therapeutic targets through beneficial effects on articular cartilage regeneration and improvement in blood supply. Further discovery of the role of non-coding RNAs in the pathogenesis of LCPD may contribute to a more complete understanding of it, as well as the development of new, effective diagnostic and therapeutic methods.