Role of AKR1B10 in inflammatory diseases.

Inflammation is an important pathophysiological process in many diseases; it has beneficial and harmful effects. When exposed to various stimuli, the body triggers an inflammatory response to eliminate invaded pathogens and damaged tissues to maintain homeostasis. However, uncontrollable persistent or excessive inflammatory responses may damage tissues and induce various diseases, such as metabolic diseases (e.g. diabetes), autoimmune diseases, nervous system-related diseases, digestive system-related diseases, and even tumours. Aldo-keto reductase 1B10 (AKR1B10) is an important player in the development and progression of multiple diseases, such as tumours and inflammatory diseases. AKR1B10 is upregulated in solid tumours, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), non-small cell lung carcinoma, and breast cancer, and is a reliable serum marker. However, information on the role of AKR1B10 in inflammation is limited. In this study, we summarized the role of AKR1B10 in inflammatory diseases, including its expression, functional contribution to inflammatory responses, and regulation of signalling pathways related to inflammation. We also discussed the role of AKR1B10 in glucose and lipid metabolism and oxidative stress. This study provides novel information and increases the understanding of clinical inflammatory diseases.

Long non-coding RNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) refer to a class of RNAs greater than 200 nucleotides in length, most of which are considered unable to encode proteins, thus deemed to be junk genes formerly. But with emerging studies about lncRNAs coming out in recent years, it is much more clearly depicted that they can regulate gene expression at different levels, with various mechanisms, thus participating in diverse biological or pathological processes, including complicated tumor-associated pathways. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver cancer, the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, which has been found to tightly associate with aberrant expression of a variety of lncRNAs regulating tumor proliferation, invasion, drug resistance, and so on, making it a potential novel tumor marker and therapeutic target. In this review, we highlight a few lncRNAs that are closely related to the occurrence and progression of HCC and try to cover their multifarious roles from different layers.