Table 1.

Roles of microRNAs in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

What is already known about miRNAs in IBD?	What can we expect from miRNAs in IBD?	Ref.
Regulate cellular processes and homeostasis	Discover new functions in the pathophysiology of IBD	[8-11]
Differentially expressed between patients with IBD and healthy controls	Can be used as diagnostic markers for IBD	[5,6,16-19]
Differentially expressed between UC and CD	Can be used to differentiate UC from CD	[6]
Differentially expressed with respect to disease activity	Can be used as biomarkers of inflammatory activity	[16,17,19,32]
Regulated in response to drug exposure	Can be used as markers of drug responses	[20]
Regulate the expression of inflammatory cytokines	Potential therapeutic targets in IBD	[21,22,23]
Act on the intestinal barrier	Potential therapeutic targets in IBD	[25,26]
Modulate the intestinal microbiota	Potential therapeutic targets in IBD	[27-29]

CD: Crohn’s disease; IBD: Inflammatory bowel disease; miRNA: microRNA; UC: Ulcerative colitis.