Role and mechanism of exosome non-coding RNA in liver fibrosis

Liver fibrosis is the initial stage of the development of various chronic liver diseases into liver cirrhosis and is a reversible process. As a subset of extracellular vesicles that can carry active substances such as proteins, lipids, and RNA, exosomes are involved in intercellular signal communication and have attracted more and more attention in recent years. Studies have shown that non-coding RNAs in exosomes play an important role in the development and progression of liver fibrosis. This article discusses the mechanism of action of exosome long non- coding RNAs (including MALAT1, H19, GAS5, MEG3, PVT1, and P21), exosome short non-coding RNAs (including micro-RNA, small nucleolus RNA, PIWI-interacting RNA, and small interference RNA), and exosome circular RNA in the development and progression of liver fibrosis, and it is concluded that exosomes from different sources (such as hepatocytes and cholangiocytes) carrying non-coding RNAs mainly affect the activation, proliferation, migration, and transformation of hepatic stellate cells. In-depth studies of exosome non-coding RNAs in the future are expected to find potential new targets for the treatment of liver fibrosis.