Serum microRNA Biomarkers for Drug-Induced Liver Injury

New biomarkers of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) are required in the clinic and in preclinical pharmaceutical evaluation. Liver-enriched microRNAs are promising serum biomarkers of acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury in mice. The utility of circulating microRNAs as biomarkers of human acute DILI is discussed in the context of correlation with existing biomarkers of liver injury and patient outcomes in acetaminophen toxicity, mechanisms of cellular microRNA release, and their potential advantages over current clinical biomarkers of DILI. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2012); 92 3, 291–293. doi:10.1038/clpt.2012.101