Figure 1.

Model of dietary microRNA dynamics within the consumer. Dietary microRNAs, in order to be detected in circulation and tissues, must circumvent degradation by the gut; transverse the intestinal barrier (possibly through active transport across intestinal epithelial layers, via leaky gut lining, or trafficked by the immune cells patrolling the gut); withstand degradation in circulation; survive sequestration into and metabolism by the tissues such as the liver; and survive filtration and excretion at the kidney.