Fig. 2
From: The roles of different microRNAs in the regulation of cholesterol in viral hepatitis
Reverse cholesterol transport and miRNAs in cholesterol homeostasis. MiRNAs exert either positive/atheroprotective or negative/atherogenic effects in the liver by directing their attention to key mediators involved in cholesterol production. These miRNAs suppress the target genes’ mRNA and protein expression, as stated. A variety of miRNAs in the liver target ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) to decrease cholesterol efflux to lipid-poor apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), which produces nascent HDL. Scavenger receptor B-I (SR-BI) specifically binds to HDL’s miRNA and cholesterol cargo upon return to the liver, where excess cholesterol is discharged into the bile. By preventing the production of the cholesterol transporters scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI) and LDLR, miRNAs aim to reduce the absorption of cholesterol into the liver. SR-BI, ABC11, and ATP8B1 transporter inhibition decrease the hepatic clearance and excretion of cholesterol [72, 73]