MicroRNAs in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: State of the Art and Future Perspectives

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) is a chronic pediatric arthritis and an important cause of children’s disabilities. Despite major therapeutic advancements achieved in the last decades, the lack of diagnostic and predictive biomarkers still hinders JIA patients’ clinical management. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small nucleic acids whose role in many pathologies has been demonstrated. In particular, miRNAs circulating in patient body fluids represent potential new disease biomarkers. Although more extensively investigated in adult arthritis, the expression and roles of miRNAs have also been studied in JIA. Here, we review the most relevant studies analyzing the expression of miRNAs in patients affected by JIA and evaluate their potential as biomarkers, highlighting the limitations currently affecting miRNA investigation. ABSTRACT: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) represents the most common chronic pediatric arthritis in Western countries and a leading cause of disability in children. Despite recent clinical achievements, patient management is still hindered by a lack of diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers and targeted treatment protocols. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs playing a key role in gene regulation, and their involvement in many pathologies has been widely reported in the literature. In recent decades, miRNA’s contribution to the regulation of the immune system and the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases has been demonstrated. Furthermore, miRNAs isolated from patients’ biological samples are currently under investigation for their potential as novel biomarkers. This review aims to provide an overview of the state of the art on miRNA investigation in JIA. The literature addressing the expression of miRNAs in different types of biological samples isolated from JIA patients was reviewed, focusing in particular on their potential application as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers. The role of miRNAs in the regulation of immune responses in affected joints will also be discussed along with their potential utility as markers of patients’ responses to therapeutic approaches. This information will be of value to investigators in the field of pediatric rheumatology, encouraging further research to increase our knowledge of miRNAs’ potential for future clinical applications in JIA.