MicroRNAs in inflammatory bowel disease: What do we know and what can we expect?

Figure 1 Main microRNAs involved in intestinal inflammation and inflammatory pathways targeted by medications used to treat inflammatory bowel disease. MicroRNA (miR)-21 and miR-223 inhibit tight junctions, whereas miR-200 and miR-93 maintain tight junctions. miR-149 promotes changes in the intestinal microbiota, favoring the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Prednisone reduces miR-486 expression, while miR320a expression is reduced by prednisone and infliximab. miR-29 reduces the expression of transforming growth factor β, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-23, similar to ustekinumab, a biological inhibitor of IL12/23. miR-155 regulates the activity of Janus kinase (JAK), which activates immune cells, whereas JAK inhibitors exert the opposite effects. miR126 regulates vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), similar to vedolizumab, which regulates mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 (MAdCAM-1). α4β7: Α4β7 integrin. Created with BioRender.com (Supplementary material).