Glucose and lipids are important nutrients because they provide most of the energy for the cells. A pre-translational regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs) plays a pivotal role in cellular metabolism by targeting the key rate-limiting enzymes of relevant pathways to fine-tune control of metabolic homeostasis. Aberrant expression of these miRNAs can result in an over or under expression of those key enzymes, contributing to the etiology of diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here we discuss recent studies of various miRNAs that control insulin sensitivity, hepatic glucose production and de novo lipogenesis and how aberrant expression of these miRNAs contributes to the pathophysiology of diabetes and NAFLD in animal models. We also review the current application of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for diagnosis or disease monitoring in diabetes and NAFLD.
Keywords: Diabetes; Metabolism; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; miRNA.