Regulatory, diagnostic, and therapeutic roles of microRNAs in chronic liver diseases.

Fibrogenesis is initially performed during tissue damage to protect the remaining tissues from the progressive death of epithelial cells, infiltration of immune and inflammatory cells, and local degrading enzymes. Inflammation can lead to excessive extracellular matrix deposition by fibroblasts and the induction of fibrosis in many organs, such as the liver. MiRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that mediate mRNA repression or destabilization, leading to translational repression.