miRNAs and their Role in the Pathogenesis of Celiac Disease: A Review

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, mainly affecting the intestine, triggered by gluten exposure and the passage of its peptides through the gastrointestinal barrier in individuals with a specific genetic background. Although numerous studies have unraveled a lot of the steps involved in the pathogenesis of celiac disease, there are still questions that remain only partially elucidated, in particular regarding the role of noncoding RNAs. This chapter provides an overview of the pathogenetic processes and of the various cell types involved in celiac disease and focuses on the role of miRNAs as possible regulators of these events. Moreover, it analyzes the data obtained in the last few years, since some studies have demonstrated that miRNAs expression, either in the duodenal tissue or in the blood, differs in celiac disease patients compared to controls. Lastly, it discusses the possible role of plasmatic miRNAs as adjunct tools for diagnosis and follow-up of celiac patients.