Increased serum levels of regenerative miRNAs in patients with spontaneous recovery from acute liver failure

Introduction: Acute liver failure (ALF) represents a life-threatening situation characterized by sudden and massive liver cell death in the absence of preexisting liver disease. Although most patients require liver transplantation to prevent mortality, some recover spontaneously and show complete liver regeneration. The molecular mechanisms of spontaneous recovery from ALF and the role of miRNAs are largely unknown. We therefore investigated miRNAs such as miR-21 and miR-221, which have been implicated to play a role in liver regeneration, in sera of ALF patients with or without spontaneous recovery. In addition…