The regulatory role of microRNA in the progression from metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma

Jiali XIE; Yaonan LIU; Rui ZHAO

doi:10.12449/JCH260425

Volume 42 Issue 4

Apr. 2026

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Article Navigation > Journal of Clinical Hepatology > 2026 > 42(4): 943-949

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The regulatory role of microRNA in the progression from metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma

DOI: 10.12449/JCH260425

Department of Hepatology，The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University，Lanzhou 730030，China

Research funding:

National Natural Science Foundation of China (32060230);

Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province (20JR10RA718);

Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province (22JR5RA919)

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Corresponding author: ZHAO Rui， zhaor01515@163.com （ORCID： 0009-0004-2031-5592）
Received Date: 2025-07-29
Accepted Date: 2025-10-15
Published Date: 2026-04-25

Abstract

Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease （MAFLD） is the main cause of chronic liver disease around the world and can eventually lead to hepatocellular carcinoma. This article describes the evolution of the definition of MAFLD， the epidemiological burden of MAFLD， and the biosynthesis and biological functions of microRNA （miRNA）， as well as the important role of various types of miRNA in the progression of MAFLD by regulating the processes such as lipid metabolism， inflammation and liver fibrosis， oxidative stress， endoplasmic reticulum stress， and glycolysis. This article also evaluates the application prospect of miRNA as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. It is pointed out that although existing studies have shown that miRNA plays an important role in the progression of MAFLD， there are still challenges in clinical translation， and large-scale studies should be conducted in the future to clarify the practical value of miRNA in MAFLD diagnosis and treatment， thereby providing new ways for precision medicine.
- Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease,
- Carcinoma， Hepatocellular,
- MicroRNAs

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References(51)

References

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The regulatory role of microRNA in the progression from metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma

DOI: 10.12449/JCH260425

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The regulatory role of microRNA in the progression from metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma

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