REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1602252
This article is part of the Research TopicncRNAs Regulation of Immune Cells and their Role in Cancer Therapies: Challenges and ImplicationsView all articles
Non-coding RNAs as Key Regulators in Hepatitis B Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Provisionally accepted
Prasanna Srinivasan Ramalingam1
Liming Zhang2
Md Sadique Hussain3
Gyas Khan4
Wedad Mawkili4
Ali Hanbashi4Gaurav Gupta5,6
Purushothaman Balakrishnan7
Sivakumar Arumugam1*- 1Protein Engineering Lab, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
- 2Department of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
- 3Uttaranchal Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
- 4Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Jizan, Saudi Arabia
- 5Center for Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University, Chandigarh, Punjab, India
- 6Centre of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
- 7Department of Biomaterials, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, SIMATS, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a significant global health challenge due to its high prevalence and poor prognosis. Recent advances have revealed that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs, long ncRNAs, circular RNAs, and small nucleolar RNAs, play critical regulatory roles in HBV-induced oncogenesis.These ncRNAs modulate various cancer hallmarks and contribute to HCC progression.Notably, their stability, detectability in bodily fluids, and disease-specific expression patterns render these ncRNAs as highly promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for HBV-HCC. Herein, we review the types and mechanisms of HBV-related ncRNAs, emphasizing their dual roles as oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Furthermore, we discuss their applicability as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets and review recent directions in ncRNA-based approaches that aim to enhance patient treatment. Concerning these aspects, the present review aimed to provide an understanding of the complexity of ncRNAs in HBVrelated HCC with the hope of directing future research and developments towards effective control of this complex malignancy known as HCC.
Keywords: biomarkers, Hepatitis B virus, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, non-coding RNAs, therapeutic targets
Received: 29 Mar 2025; Accepted: 05 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ramalingam, Zhang, Hussain, Khan, Mawkili, Hanbashi, Gupta, Balakrishnan and Arumugam. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sivakumar Arumugam, Protein Engineering Lab, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.