Pituitary adenomas are common benign
intracranial neoplasms representing about 10-25% of all
intracranial neoplasm. Significant morbidity can occur along with
pituitary adenomas due to hormonal dysfunction and mass effects. The pathogenesis of
pituitary adenoma is unclear, however, etiologic factors include genetic events, hormonal stimulation, and
growth factors [1], all of which promote cell proliferation and transformation in the
tumor. However, genetic events play the most important role in
tumorigenesis.
MicroRNAs (
miRNAs), a class of non-coding RNAs, not only have function in pituitary cell proliferation and apoptosis but also in neoplastic transformation. It has been shown that
miRNAs are differentially expressed in
pituitary adenoma when compared with the normal pituitary gland; moreover,
miRNAs have been identified as a predictive signature of
pituitary adenoma and can be used to predict the histotype. The expression of
miRNAs can be used not only to differentiate microadenomas from macroadenomas, but to also distinguish samples of treated patients from samples of non-treated patients. Therefore, we hypothesized that a
miRNA-based network may be involved in pituitary
tumorigenesis and it can potentially serve as useful diagnostic markers to improve the classification of
pituitary adenomas. Here, we reviewed the therapeutic potential that different types of
miRNAs may play in
tumorigenesis. Moreover,
miRNAs may emerge as potential therapeutic targets. We speculated the mechanism of miR-21 is involved in
tumorigenesis, leading to improvements in
therapies and prevention of
metastasis.