From Osteogenesis to Diagnosis: The Role of microRNAs as Biomarkers for Osteoporosis

With the progress of global aging, osteoporosis, as a systemic bone disease, has become an increasingly serious public health problem. Osteoporosis has an insidious onset, and the fractures it causes have a high rate of disability and mortality. Early diagnosis and intervention of the disease are particularly important. Currently, diagnostic methods for osteoporosis, such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), quantitative computed tomography (QCT), and bone turnover markers (BTM), all have their limitations. miRNA is a type of non-coding RNA that plays a role in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. A large number of studies have shown that miRNA is involved in the formation and functional execution of osteoblasts. The differential expression of miRNA levels can effectively distinguish osteoporosis patients from normal individuals, and miRNA detection has the advantages of simple sample collection, non-invasive measurement, specificity for bone metabolism, correct correlation with standard techniques for bone remodeling analysis, and the ability to respond to the treatment of diseases affecting bone metabolism. This makes miRNAs potentially effective diagnostic markers for osteoporosis. This article aims to summarize our current understanding of miRNA regulation of osteoblast generation and function, and we will also discuss the potential value of these miRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis of osteoporosis.