MicroRNAs: A Social Network in Diabetic Retinopathy

In recent years, the role of non-coding RNAs in human physiology and pathology has emerged as an essential avenue of investigation. Among others, studies identifying the biological role of microRNAs (miRNAs) have paved the way for future inquiries on the importance and biological significance of non-coding RNAs. In this review, we provide an overview of miRNAs’ biology and their contribution to the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This complication of diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults, affecting more than 4 million people in the US alone and over 103 million people worldwide. Despite the tremendous efforts of the scientific community and the pharmaceutical industry, the development of new, more effective therapeutic and diagnostic tools for DR to date remains an unmet need. More than a decade from the initial work assessing miRNA expression profiles in diabetic patients, we have learned the impact of these signaling molecules in DR and garnered knowledge of their complexity and their potential as new diagnostic and therapeutic targets for this potentially blinding condition.