RESUMEN
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, single-stranded, non-coding RNAs that bind to target messenger RNA (mRNA), leading to changes in gene expression. Exposure to anesthetics in early or late intrauterine life in children may result in neurotoxicity and long-term neurocognitive decline in adulthood. This may be related to a variety of mechanisms that induce neuronal apoptosis and inhibit neurogenesis, in which miRNAs play a key role in this environment. MiRNAs are key regulators of gene expression, and their expression differs in response to internal and external environmental stimuli, including general anesthesia. More than 40 miRNAs such as sevoflurane, isoflurane, propofol, bupivacaine, and ketamine have been shown to have a regulatory role in anesthesia-induced neurotoxicity. In this paper, the research progress of differential expression of miRNAs that can be induced by different anesthetics were reviewed.