MicroRNAs in Various Body Fluids and their Importance in Forensic Medicine

Seong Lin Teoh, Srijit Das*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalShort surveypeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression. miRNAs have tissue-specific expression and are also present in various extracellular body fluids, including blood, tears, semen, vaginal fluid, and urine. Additionally, the expression of miRNAs in body fluids is linked to various pathological diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Ex-amination of body fluids is important in forensic medicine as they serve as a valuable form of evi-dence. Due to its stability, miRNA offers an advantage for body fluid identification, which can be de-tected even after several months or from compromised samples. Identification of unique miRNA profiles for different body fluids enables the identification of the body fluids. Furthermore, miRNAs profiling can be used to estimate post-mortem interval. Various biochemical and molecular methods used for the identification of miRNAs have shown promising results. We discuss different miRNAs as specific biomarkers and their clinical importance in different pathological conditions, as well as their medicolegal importance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2332-2343
Number of pages12
JournalMini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry
Volume22
Issue number18
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 1 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • biomarkers
  • body fluids identification
  • diagnostic
  • forensic medicine
  • gene expression
  • microRNA
  • MicroRNAs/genetics
  • Humans
  • Biomarkers/metabolism
  • Forensic Genetics/methods
  • Body Fluids/chemistry
  • Female
  • Forensic Medicine/methods

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology
  • Drug Discovery

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