Table 1.
Summary of medicinal plant miRNA studies of different species.
| Latin Name | Aim Pathway | Methods of Target Functional Identification | References | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prediction | Indirect Verification | GMOs/GMCs Direct Validation | |||
| Cross-kingdom regulation | |||||
| Lonicera japonica | Replication of influenza A virus | − | − | √ | [23] |
| Lonicera japonica | Replication of COVID-19 | − | − | √ | [46] |
| Camptotheca acuminata | Breast cancer, leukemia and lung cancer | √ | − | − | [47] |
| Gastrodia elata | Homo sapiens A20 gene | − | − | √ | [48] |
| Ocimum basilicum | Rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes mellitus | √ | − | − | [11] |
| Lonicera japonica | Tumor proliferation | − | − | √ | [49] |
| Atropa belladonna | Central nervous system toxicity | − | √ | − | [12] |
| Panax ginseng | Cancers, immune diseases, and neurological disorders | √ | − | − | [50] |
| Viscum album | Cancers | √ | − | − | [51] |
| Ocimum basilicum | Cardiomyopathy, HIV, Alzheimer’s diseases and cancers | √ | − | − | [52] |
| Bacopa monnieri | NF-kB and MAPK pathways | √ | − | − | [13] |
| Aucklandia lapp, Rhodiola crenulata, and Taraxacum mongolicum | Stability assessment of miRNAs during decoction preparation | − | − | − | [53] |
| Ten medicinal plants | MiRNAs were detected in mammalian blood and tissues | √ | − | − | [54] |
| Viscum album | Stability assessment of miRNAs during decoction preparation | − | − | − | [55] |
| Intra-kingdom secondary metabolism | |||||
| Pogostemon cablin | Synthesis of sesquiterpenes | − | − | √ | [56] |
| Papaver somniferum | Benzylisoquinoline alkaloid synthesis | − | √ | − | [57] |
| Artemisia annua | Artemisinin synthesis | √ | − | − | [58] |
| Euphorbia kansui | Terpenoid biosynthesis | √ | − | − | [59] |
| Glycyrrhiza | Glycyrrhizic acid synthesis | √ | − | − | [60] |
| Salvia miltiorrhiza | Tanshinone synthesis and biomass | − | − | √ | [61] |
| Salvia miltiorrhiza | Synthesis of salvianolic acid | − | − | √ | [62] |
| Podophyllum hexandrum | Podophylloxin synthesis | − | √ | − | [63] |
| Taxus | Taxol, phenylpropanoid, and flavonoid biosynthesis | − | − | √ | [64] |
| Ginkgo biloba | Terpene trilactone synthesis | − | √ | − | [65] |
| Desmodium styracifolium | Schaftoside biosynthesis | √ | − | − | [66] |
| Camellia sinensis | Catechin, theanine and caffeine synthesis | √ | − | − | [67] |
| Salvia miltiorrhiza | Tanshinone, salvianolic acid, and biomass | − | − | √ | [68] |
| Catharanthus roseus | Terpenoid indole alkaloids | − | √ | − | [69] |
| Hippophae rhamnoides | Lipid synthesis | − | √ | − | [70] |
| Artemisia annua | Artemisinin synthesis | − | √ | − | [71] |
| Salvia miltiorrhiza | Phenolic acid synthesis | − | √ | − | [72] |
| Camellia sinensis | Catechin synthesis | − | √ | − | [73] |
| Picrorhiza kurroa | Terpenoid synthesis | − | √ | − | [14] |
| Dendrobium nobile | Synthesis of dendrobine | √ | − | − | [74] |
| Digitalis purpurea | Cardiac glycoside biosynthesis | − | √ | − | [75] |
| Panax notoginseng | Synthesis of triterpenoid saponins | − | √ | − | [76] |
| Lycoris aurea | Alkaloid synthesis | − | √ | − | [77] |
| Acacia | Lignin and flavonoid synthesis | √ | − | − | [78] |
| Murraya koenigii | Flavonoid and terpenoid synthesis | √ | − | − | [79] |
| Catharanthus roseus | Secondary metabolism | √ | − | − | [80] |
| Salvia sclarea | Phenylpropanoids and terpenoids synthesis | √ | − | − | [81] |
| Zingiber officinalis | Gingerol synthesis | √ | − | − | [82] |
| Ocimum basilicum | Secondary metabolism | √ | − | − | [83] |
| Taxus chinensis | Taxoid synthesis | √ | − | − | [40] |
| Ferula gummosa | Synthesis of ferulide | − | √ | − | [84] |
| Lycium chinense | Lycopene synthesis | − | √ | − | [85] |
| Salvia miltiorrhiza | Biosynthesis of tanshinones | − | √ | − | [86] |
| Xanthium strumarium | Terpenoid biosynthesis | √ | − | − | [87] |
| Salvia miltiorrhiza | Phenolic synthesis | − | √ | − | [88] |
| Azadirachta indica | Secondary metabolism | √ | − | − | [89] |
| Withania somnifera | Withanolide synthesis | − | √ | − | [90] |
| Mentha | Essential oil biosynthesis | √ | − | − | [91] |
| Salvia miltiorrhiza | Tanshinone Synthesis | − | − | √ | [61] |
| Artemisia annua | Artemisinin synthesis | √ | − | − | [92] |
| Vinca minor | Synthesis of terpenoid indole alkaloids | √ | − | − | [93] |
| Curcuma longa | Curcumin biosynthesis | √ | − | − | [94] |
| Podophyllum hexandrum | Podophyllotoxin synthesis | − | √ | − | [95] |
| Podophyllum hexandrum | Podophyllotoxin synthesis | − | √ | − | [96] |
| Persicaria minor | Terpenoid and GLV synthesis | − | √ | − | [97] |
| Gleditsia sinensis | Synthesis of monoterpenes and alkaloids | √ | − | − | [98] |
| Glycyrrhiza uralensis | Secondary metabolism | √ | − | − | [99] |
| Capsicum annuum | Anthocyanin synthesis | √ | − | − | [100] |
| Brassica oleracea | Secondary metabolism | − | √ | − | [101] |
| Persicaria minor | Terpenoid and GLV synthesis | − | √ | − | [102] |
| Dryopteris fragrans | Terpenoid synthesis | − | √ | − | [103] |
| Echinacea purpurea | Anthocyanin biosynthesis | √ | − | − | [104] |
| Intra-kingdom growth and development | |||||
| Papaver somniferum | Root, stem, leaf and young capsule prior to flowering tissues | − | √ | − | [57] |
| Panax ginseng | Flower buds, leaves, and lateral roots | √ | − | − | [105] |
| Lycium barbarum | Different fruit stages | − | √ | − | [106] |
| Lonicera japonica | Flower buds, leaves, and stems of 21 cultivated varieties | − | − | − | [107] |
| Lycopersicon esculentum and Lycium chinense | Shoot and fruit of grafted tomato | √ | − | − | [108] |
| Ginkgo biloba | Roots, stems, leaves, microstrobilus, and ovulate strobilus | − | √ | − | [65] |
| Camellia sinensis | Buds, different development stages of leaves and stems | √ | − | − | [67] |
| Dendrobium officinale | Flower, root, leaf and stem | √ | − | − | [109] |
| Panax notoginseng | Root with various biomasses | − | √ | − | [110] |
| Carthamus tinctorius | Seed, leaf, and petal | − | − | − | [111] |
| Panax ginseng | Roots, stems, leaves and flowers | √ | − | − | [112] |
| Panax notoginseng | Roots, stems, and leaves of 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old seedlings | − | √ | − | [76] |
| Gynostemma pentaphyllum | three stages of developmental stem-to-rhizome transition | − | √ | − | [113] |
| Hypericum perforatum | Flower parts | √ | − | − | [114] |
| Pinellia ternate | Leaves, stalks and tubers | − | − | − | [115] |
| Lonicera japonica | Flowers including 2 varieties of honeysuckle at 2 locations | − | √ | − | [116] |
| Ginkgo biloba | Epiphyllous ovule leaves and normal leaves | − | √ | − | [117] |
| Elettaria cardamomum | Cultivar and wild cardamom genotypes | − | √ | − | [118] |
| Ginkgo biloba | Mature ovules (pollination stage) and leaves of female trees | √ | − | − | [119] |
| Ginkgo biloba | Cambial structure | − | − | − | [120] |
| Passifora edulis | Inter-tissue and inter-varietal | √ | − | − | [121] |
| Ginkgo biloba | Female and male leaves | √ | − | − | [122] |
| Dendrobium officinale | Conventional and micropropagated plants | √ | − | − | [123] |
| Polygonatum odoratum | Leaves and roots of CC and FC seedlings | √ | − | − | [124] |
| Bletilla striata | Leaves, roots, and tubers | − | √ | − | [125] |
| Intra-kingdom stress responses | |||||
| Halostachys caspica | Salt stress | − | √ | − | [126] |
| Cicer arietinum | Ascochyta blight | − | √ | − | [127] |
| Salvia miltiorrhiza | Salt stress | − | − | − | [6] |
| Astragalus Membranaceus | Cold stress | − | √ | − | [128] |
| Zingiber officinale and Curcuma amada | Bacterial wilt | − | √ | − | [129] |
| Dendrobium huoshanense | Drought stress | − | √ | − | [130] |
| Macleaya cordata | Drought stress | − | √ | − | [131] |
| Digitalis purpurea | Cold and dehydration stresses | − | √ | − | [75] |
| Humulus lupulus | CBCVd | − | √ | − | [15] |
| Panax ginseng | High ambient temperature | − | √ | − | [132] |
| Aquilaria sinensis | Wound treatment | − | − | − | [133] |
| Panax ginseng | Dehydration and heat stresses | − | √ | − | [134] |
| Ziziphus jujuba | Jujube witches’-broom | − | √ | − | [135] |
| Polygonatum odoratum | Consecutive monoculture problem | √ | − | − | [124] |
| Pogostemon cablin | Consecutive monoculture problem | − | √ | − | [136] |
| Other research functioning in intra-kingdom | |||||
| Eucommia ulmoides | First report | − | √ | − | [137] |
| Taxus | First report | − | √ | − | [138] |
| Lotus japonicus | First report | √ | − | − | [139] |
| Humulus lupulus | First report | − | √ | − | [140] |
| Persicaria minor | First report | √ | − | − | [141] |
| Gymnema sylvestre | First report | √ | − | − | [142] |
| Rehmannia glutinosa | First report | √ | − | − | [143] |
| 29 medicinal plants | Database | √ | − | − | [144] |
| Papaver somniferum | Non-classical miRNA | √ | − | − | [18] |
| Hypericum | Evolutionary analysis | √ | − | − | [145] |
| Pinellia pedatisecta | Evolutionary analysis | − | − | − | [146] |
| Aquilegia coerulea | Evolutionary analysis | √ | − | − | [9] |
| Elettaria cardamomum | Evolutionary analysis | − | √ | − | [118] |
CBCVd—citrus bark cracking viroid, CC—consecutive cropping, FC—first cropping, GLV—green leaf volatile, GMCs—genetically modified cells, HIV—human immunodeficiency virus, and MAPK—mitogen-activated protein kinase. Indirect verification: studies that miRNA-target gene modules have not been functionally validated at the transgenic level, but the suppression relationship between their miRNAs and target genes has been verified using qRT-PCR, RACE, degradome sequencing, northern blot, β-glucuronidase reporter gene staining (GUS), and/or transient luciferase signal system.