The mechanism of action of non-coding RNAs in placental disorders

Abstract

Placental complication arises due to various risk factors occurring during the pregnancy period, leading to an increased morbidity rate. Placenta related disorders are one of primary reason for pregnancy related complications and the clinical incidences are seen to be on the rise. Most of the common disorders associated with placenta are pre-eclampsia, recurrent spontaneous abortions, intra-uterine growth restriction etc. Several studies have been done to understand the genetics and immunological attributes leading to the development of placenta associated complications. In the recent years, studies were able to establish and identify ncRNAs found specifically in foetal tissues such as the placenta. The aberrant expression patterns of ncRNA associated with placenta has been linked to disorders such as pre-eclampsia. Since ncRNA play a major role in regulating biological processes like trophoblast growth, migration and invasion, their aberrant expression could very well lead to complications like spontaneous pregnancy loss. This review article focuses on the association of ncRNAs - miRNAs, lncRNAs, CircRNAs in placenta associated complications as well as the different ncRNA based therapies. Deciphering the exact mechanism involved in the regulation and development of placenta through ncRNA will help in using it as a biomarker for early diagnosis. Understanding the therapeutic opportunities of ncRNAs in placental disorders will result in better treatment strategies.

Keywords

• Placenta
• Non-coding RNAs
• Preeclampsia
• Accreta
• IUGR Pregnancies