The interaction between non-coding RNAs and SGLT2: A review

Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2, SLC5A2) is a promising target for a new class of drug primarily established as kidney-targeting as well as emerging class of glucose-lowering drugs in diabetes. Studies showed that SGLT2 inhibitors also have a systemic impact via indirectly targeting the heart and kidneys which exerts broad cardio- and nephroprotective effects. Additionally, as cancer cells tightly require glucose supply, studies also questioned how SGLT2 inhibitors impact molecular pathology and cellular metabolism in cancer hallmarks. However, the exact molecular mechanisms responsible for those benefits have not been fully discovered. MicroRNAs (miRNA) and circularRNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous, single-stranded, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that can control protein-coding genes, affecting significant molecular and cellular processes regulating homeostasis. CircRNAs particularly regulate gene expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level by sponging to miRNAs and by altering interactions between proteins.