AI Article Synopsis

  • Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are tiny RNA pieces that can make messenger RNA (mRNA) disappear, which helps control how much protein is made in our bodies.
  • Givosiran is a special siRNA that helps treat a rare liver disease called acute hepatic porphyrias by targeting a specific part of the liver that creates toxic substances.
  • The text talks about how givosiran works, its successful test results, and its importance for treating this disease and potentially helping with other medical problems in the future.

Article Abstract

Small interfering ribonucleic acids [siRNAs] are short ribonucleic acid (RNA) fragments cleaved from double-stranded RNA molecules that target and bind to specific sequences on messenger RNA (mRNA), leading to their destruction. Therefore, the siRNA down-regulates the formation of selected mRNAs and their protein products. Givosiran is one such siRNA that uses this mechanism to treat acute hepatic porphyrias. Acute hepatic porphyrias are a group of rare, inherited metabolic disorders, characterized by acute potentially life-threatening attacks as well as chronic symptoms with a negative impact on quality of life. It has four types, each associated with distinct enzyme defects in the heme biosynthesis pathway in the liver. By targeting the expression of hepatic 5-aminolevulinic acid [ALA] synthase-1 [ALAS1], givosiran can down-regulate levels of toxic metabolites, leading to biochemical and clinical improvement. Givosiran selectively targets hepatocytes due to its linkage to -acetylgalactosamine (GalNac) leading to its selective uptake via asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGPR). We provide an up-to-date literature review regarding givosiran in the context of a clinical overview of the porphyrias, an overview of siRNAs for therapy of human disorders, the design and development of givosiran, key clinical trial results of givosiran for prevention of acute porphyric attacks, emerging concerns regarding chronic use of givosiran, and the overall management of acute hepatic porphyrias. These insights are important not only for the management of acute hepatic porphyrias but also for the emerging field of siRNAs and their role in novel therapies for various diseases.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9208469PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/DDDT.S281631DOI Listing

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