ANNALS OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND DIGESTIVE DISORDERS
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly vascularized neoplasm. In the tumor niche, abundant angiogenesis is fundamental in providing
nutrients for tumor growth and represents the first escape route for metastatic cells. Active angiogenesis, together with metastasis, are
responsible for the reduction of recurrence-free survival of HCC.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that have recently drawn attention in molecular targeted therapy or as diagnostic and
prognostic biomarkers. MiRNA expression in HCC has been widely studied in the last decade. Some miRNAs have been found to be up- or
down-regulated, besides association with apoptosis, metastasis progression and drug resistance have been found. This review article aims to
summarize the angiogenetic process in tumor diseases and to update on what has been found in the vast world of HCC-related-miRNAs and,
eventually, to report the latest finding on several miRNAs involved in HCC angiogenesis. We searched the state of the arts for the 12 miRNAs
found to be involved with angiogenesis in HCC (miR-29b, miR-126-3p, miR-144-3p, miR-146a, miR-195, miR-199a-3p, miR-210-3p, miR-338-
3p, mir-491, mir-497, mir-638, mir-1301) and reported their main molecular targets and their overall effect in the sprouting of new vessels.
