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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0International Journal of Molecular Medicine

Emerging role of non-coding RNAs in the progression of MASLD-driven hepatocellular carcinoma (Review)

  • Weihua Zheng1
  • Caiyan An1
  • Long Xia1
  • Hongquan Wang1
  • Yumin Wang2
  • Junjing Zhang1
  1. 1Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, Foundational and Translational Medical Research Center, Department of Allergy and General Surgery, Hohhot First Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region 010030, P.R. China
  2. 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Aerospace Center Hospital, Peking University Aerospace School of Clinical Medicine, Beijing 100049, P.R. China
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Abstract

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide and a leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality. MASLD encompasses a pathological spectrum ranging from metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), making it the fastest-growing contributor to the global incidence of HCC. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), once regarded as 'genomic dark matter', are increasingly recognised as key regulatory molecules in a variety of liver diseases. However, their systematic involvement in the malignant progression from MASLD to HCC remains incompletely understood. Emerging evidence suggests that ncRNAs play critical roles in modulating the major pathophysiological processes underlying MASLD-driven HCC progression, including dysregulated lipid metabolism, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, immune imbalance and gut microbiota disruption. The present review systematically examines the specific functions of major ncRNA classes, including microRNAs, long ncRNAs and circular RNAs, in the pathogenesis of MASLD-driven HCC. In addition, given their considerable diagnostic and therapeutic potential, the present review evaluates the prospects of ncRNAs as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets to facilitate the early detection and precision treatment of MASLD-driven HCC.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zheng2026emerging,
  title = {{Emerging role of non-coding RNAs in the progression of MASLD-driven hepatocellular carcinoma (Review)}},
  author = {Weihua Zheng and Caiyan An and Long Xia and Hongquan Wang and Yumin Wang and Junjing Zhang},
  journal = {International Journal of Molecular Medicine},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3892/ijmm.2026.6029},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2026.6029},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Emerging role of non-coding RNAs in the progression of MASLD-driven hepatocellular carcinoma (Review)
AU  - Weihua Zheng
AU  - Caiyan An
AU  - Long Xia
AU  - Hongquan Wang
AU  - Yumin Wang
AU  - Junjing Zhang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/27
JO  - International Journal of Molecular Medicine
DO  - 10.3892/ijmm.2026.6029
UR  - https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2026.6029
AB  - Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most prevalent chronic liver disease worldwide and a leading cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality. MASLD encompasses a pathological spectrum ranging from metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), making it the fastest-growing contributor to the global incidence of HCC. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), once regarded as 'genomic dark matter', are increasingly recognised as key regulatory molecules in a variety of liver diseases. However, their systematic involvement in the malignant progression from MASLD to HCC remains incompletely understood. Emerging evidence suggests that ncRNAs play critical roles in modulating the major pathophysiological processes underlying MASLD-driven HCC progression, including dysregulated lipid metabolism, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, immune imbalance and gut microbiota disruption. The present review systematically examines the specific functions of major ncRNA classes, including microRNAs, long ncRNAs and circular RNAs, in the pathogenesis of MASLD-driven HCC. In addition, given their considerable diagnostic and therapeutic potential, the present review evaluates the prospects of ncRNAs as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets to facilitate the early detection and precision treatment of MASLD-driven HCC.
SN  - 1107-3756
SN  - 1791-244X
ER  -