New Molecular and Epigenetic Expressions as Novel Biomarkers in Critically Ill Polytrauma Patients with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

Background A high percentage of the critically ill polytrauma patients develop acute kidney injury (AKI) secondary to trauma and are therefore prone to high morbidity and mortality rates. One of the main objectives in these cases is the fast detection of the condition and continuous rigorous monitoring of the patients. Currently the panel of biomarkers available for monitoring and for the prognosis of AKI is limited. Numerous studies have proven the importance of microRNAs in this field. In this actualization paper we wish to summarize the most relevant microRNAs that can be used as biomarkers for patients with AKI. Methods For this paper, we looked into the studies available in scientific databases such as PubMed and Scopus. For the analysis we used the following key words: "miRNAs biomarker", "acute kidney injury AKI", "genetic expression in AKI", and "epigenetic microRNAs biomarkers in AKI". Results Numerous studies have shown high specificity for certain microRNA species in the case of patients with AKI. Moreover, they have reported a series of microRNAs that present high specificity and that have a strong expression in fluids that can be sampled through non-invasive methods, such as urine and saliva. Conclusions The expression of microRNAs can be successfully used in the future as a non-invasive method for the evaluation and monitoring of AKI patients.