I microRNA nelle principali patologie renali: una nuova frontiera per il nefrologo [miRNAs in main renal diseases: a new frontier for the nephrologist]

miRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that play a key role in the homeostasis and in the onset of many diseases. Different studies on nephropathies have identified miRNAs that are differentially expressed in nephropathic subjects compared to healthy controls. An important goal of these studies is to give the nephrologist the possibility to diagnose different nephropathies based on liquid biopsies that are less invasive for the patient than solid ones. The present review focalizes on the function of miRNAs in human physiology and renal diseases and analyzes the potential role that, in the near future, they may have in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic kidney diseases.