Table 1.
Implication of cirRNAs in liver diseases: NAFLD, NASH and hepatocellular carcinomas, and their effects.
| Stage | Hallmark | Name | Target | Expression | Effect on disease progression | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAFLD | Lipid metabolism |
Circ_Scd1 | JAK2/STAT5 | + | Exacerbates hepatic steatosis | (43) |
| Circ_0000660 | miR_693/IGFBP1 | + | Reduces hepatic steatosis | (44) | ||
| Autophagy | Circ_002581 | miR_122/CPEB1/PTEN/AMPK/mTOR | – | Leads to autophagy dysfunction | (52) | |
| NASH | Inflammation | Circ_RSF1 | miR_146a-5p/Rac1/JNK/NFkB | + | Induces liver inflammation | (74) |
| Circ_PSD3 | Pro-inflammatories cytokines | – | Reduces cytokines production and liver inflammation | (59) | ||
| Fibrosis | miR_92b-3p/SMAD7 | + | Reduces liver fibrosis | (59) | ||
| Circ_CREBBP | miR_1291/LEFTY2 | + | Reduces liver fibrosis | (60) | ||
| Circ_FBXW4 | miR_18b-3p/TIMP1/PDGF/αSMA | – | Reduces liver fibrosis | (65) | ||
| Circ_Ube2k | miR_149-5p/TGFβ2 | + | Induces liver fibrosis | (66) | ||
| Oxidative stress | Circ_Acc1 | AMPK | + | Reduces hepatic oxidative stress |
(79) | |
| Circ_021412 | miR_1972/LPIN1 | – | Reduces hepatic oxidative stress |
(80, 81) | ||
| Circ_0046366 | miR_34a/PPARα | – | Reduces hepatic oxidative stress |
(83, 84) | ||
| Circ_0046367 | ||||||
| Circ_SCAR | PGC1a/mROS | – | Reduces hepatic oxidative stress |
(85) | ||
| Circ_LIFR | miR_624-5p/β-catenin | – | Acts as a tumor suppressor | (89) | ||
| HCC | Circ_0005986 | miR_129-5p/Notch1 | + | Acts as a tumor suppressor | (90) | |
| Circ_TMEM45A | miR_65/IGF2 | + | Promotes HCC progression | (92) | ||
| Circ_GFRA1 | miR_498/NAP1L3 | + | Promotes HCC progression | (93) | ||
| Circ_104348 | miR_157-3p/β-catenin | + | Promotes HCC progression | (94) | ||