Osteoblastic microRNAs in skeletal diseases: Biological functions and therapeutic implications

Abstract

Skeletal diseases normally represents a grievous imbalance between osteoblasts for bone formation and osteoclasts for bone resorption. A lack of osteogenic function can make it difficult to repair pathological bone erosion. Therefore, substantial efforts have been made to remedy these issues, with the aid of bioactive molecules, herbs and materials. Following recent insights, the importance of epigenetic gene regulation is increasingly evident, especially microRNAs. MicroRNAs can silence target genes by inhibiting mRNA translation or degrading mRNA molecules by binding to their 3′-untranslated region. There is accumulating evidence indicating that the miRNAs significantly involved in osteogenic gene expression, signaling pathway intervention and programmed cell death. Besides, numerous new target drugs (microRNA inhibitors or agonists) have been proposed to exploit its value in skeletal physiology and pathology. In this review, we mainly discuss the role of microRNAs in the context of skeletal disease-associated osteoblast differentiation, the applications of microRNA polymorphisms as biomarkers for diagnostic and therapeutic targets, and the challenges to meet this goal. Our summary provides novel horizon for improving the therapeutic effect of microRNAs, which may be beneficial to the further clinical translation of microRNAs in the treatments of skeletal diseases.