MicroRNA-21 Silencing in Diabetic Nephropathy: Insights on Therapeutic Strategies

• Published in: Biomedicines Vol. 11; no. 9; p. 2583
• Main Authors: Dhas, Yogita, Arshad, Numair, Biswas, Nupur, Jones, Lawrence D, Ashili, Shashaanka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Age; antagomirs; Cardiovascular disease; Cell growth; chronic kidney disease; Development and progression; diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes therapy; Diabetic nephropathies; Diabetics; Fibrosis; Health aspects; Hypertension; Kidney diseases; Kinases; LNA-21; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs; Microvasculature; miRNA; Nephropathy; Oligonucleotides; pharmacological silencing of miR-21; Review; Therapeutic targets; Type 2 diabetes
• ISSN: 2227-9059; 2227-9059
• DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11092583

In diabetes, possibly the most significant site of microvascular damage is the kidney. Due to diabetes and/or other co-morbidities, such as hypertension and age-related nephron loss, a significant number of people with diabetes suffer from kidney diseases. Improved diabetic care can reduce the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy (DN); however, innovative treatment approaches are still required. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is one of the most studied multipotent microRNAs (miRNAs), and it has been linked to renal fibrosis and exhibits significantly altered expression in DN. Targeting miR-21 offers an advantage in DN. Currently, miR-21 is being pharmacologically silenced through various methods, all of which are in early development. In this review, we summarize the role of miR-21 in the molecular pathogenesis of DN and several therapeutic strategies to use miR-21 as a therapeutic target in DN. The existing experimental interventions offer a way to rectify the lower miRNA levels as well as to reduce the higher levels. Synthetic miRNAs also referred to as miR-mimics, can compensate for abnormally low miRNA levels. Furthermore, strategies like oligonucleotides can be used to alter the miRNA levels. It is reasonable to target miR-21 for improved results because it directly contributes to the pathological processes of kidney diseases, including DN.