ABSTRACT
A large number of studies in recent years have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important regulatory role in the progression of liver fibrosis. This article briefly describes the definition, classification, and biological functions of lncRNAs and summarizes recent reports on the regulatory role of lncRNAs in liver fibrosis by acting as competitive endogenous RNA, including downregulated maternally expressed gene 3, growth arrest-specific transcript 5, and long intergenic non-coding RNA-p21 and upregulated lung adenocarcinoma-associated transcript 1, lncRNA-activated by transforming growth factor beta, plasmacytoma variant translocation 1, homeobox transcript antisense RNA, lncRNA-H19, and small nuclear RNA host gene 7, so as to provide insights into the diagnosis of liver fibrosis, the screening of therapeutic targets, and the development of clinical treatment regimens for the reversal of liver fibrosis.