Mechanism and Role of circRNA in Occurrence and Development of Hepatocellular Carcinoma / 肿瘤防治研究

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common pathological type of primary liver cancer, with high fatality rate. The pathogenesis of HCC is complex, and the specific occurrence and development mechanism is still in the exploratory stage. CircRNA is a special endogenous noncoding RNA and mainly participates in the regulation of gene expression at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. By regulating gene transcription, it acts as a molecular sponge of miRNA, participates in protein translation, and interacts with RNA binding protein (RBP). CircRNA is involved in the occurrence and development of HCC. Its abnormal expression in HCC cells is related to the pathological characteristics of HCC tissue, regulates the expression of downstream target genes, miRNA and proteins, participates in the proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of HCC cells, and regulates tumor microenvironment and signal pathways, suggesting that circRNA may be a potential novel biomarker and therapeutic target for the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC. This paper reviews the biological mechanism of circRNA, its role in HCC, and research progress in diagnosis and treatment.

Regulatory effect of mTOR pathway-mediated autophagy in liver injury / 临床肝胆病杂志

Autophagy can regulate liver physiology and balance liver metabolism. Autophagy activation has a double-sided and complex effect on liver injury, and it is regulated by many factors and is associated with many protein pathways. This article summarizes the role of mTOR in the regulation of autophagy, which can inhibit or enhance autophagy through the PI3K/Akt upstream signaling pathway and participate in the physiological and pathological changes of related liver diseases. Therefore, this article reviews the research advances in the mTOR/PI3K/Akt autophagy pathway in liver injury, in order to provide new therapeutic targets for related liver diseases.

Advances in the role of microRNA in the intervention of malignant transformation of precancerous lesions of the liver by regulating the activation of hepatic stellate cells / 临床肝胆病杂志

The development and progression of liver cancer have the stages of hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, precancerous lesion, and liver cancer, among which the malignant transformation of precancerous lesions of liver cancer is closely associated with the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC). By describing the activation of HSC, the generation of precancerous cells of liver cancer, the formation of inflammatory fibrotic microenvironment, and the association between HSC activation and precancerous lesion, this article points out that microRNAs can affect the malignant transformation of precancerous lesion of liver cancer by regulating the expression of related target genes and HSC activation, and the research in this field is expected to provide new ideas and targets for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer.

HCV culture system and its application in antiviral research on Chinese herb extracts in vitro / 临床肝胆病杂志

Many studies have shown that Chinese herb extracts could treat patients who suffer hepatitis C. However, the clinical efficacy is limited due to the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compounds. Because each drug contains multiple active substances, some of which may even act against each other in vivo, it is hard to clarify the mechanism of treatment. The current research on pseudotyped hepatitis C virus (HCV), replicon, and cell culture system is summarized, and the advances in antiviral research on the monomers or active components of Chinese herbs in vitro based on HCV RNA models are reviewed, thus providing new ideas for TCM treatment of hepatitis C.