Research progress on non-coding small RNA in oral submucosal fibrosis

Abstract

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is one of the most common precancerous lesions of the oral mucosa, and its pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Small noncoding RNAs (SncRNAs), a class of RNA molecules that do not code for proteins, have been widely reported to be involved in the regulation of a variety of human diseases. An increasing number of studies have shown that a variety of SncRNAs play important roles in the pathogenesis of OSF. Current studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in OSF disease progression by regulating the expression of related transcription factors and genes or epithelial mesenchymal transformation to regulate the activation of fibroblasts (FBs). Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that transform growth factor-β/suppressor of mothers against decapentaplegic (TGF-β/Smad) signaling pathways or interact with miRNAs are involved in the development of OSF. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a role in OSF by interacting with miRNAs. tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) are involved in the progression of various fibrotic diseases, but their specific mechanism of action in OSF still needs to be further explored. In the future, it is still necessary to focus on the targets of SncRNAs mediating OSF progression and explore their function and molecular mechanism in OSF to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of OSF.

Keywords

• oral submucous fibrosis|small non-coding rnas|micrornas|long noncoding rnas|circular rnas|trna-derived small rnas|fibroblasts