AUTHOR=Chen Jing , Chen XiaoLing , He Fei 

TITLE=Circular RNAs at the crossroads of acute pancreatitis: bridging molecular mechanisms to diagnostic and therapeutic innovations

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2025.1650363

DOI=10.3389/fgene.2025.1650363

ISSN=1664-8021

ABSTRACT=Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a severe inflammatory condition that frequently leads to systemic inflammatory response syndrome and multiple organ failure. Despite the increasing occurrence, targeted therapies remain unavailable. CircRNAs have recently been implicated in AP pathogenesis, regulating biological processes such as apoptosis, pyroptosis, and inflammation through mechanisms including miRNA sponging, protein scaffolding, and translation. Their disease-specific roles make them promising candidates for clinical translation. This review highlights the potential of circRNAs as novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic targets in AP, aiming to guide future advancement of innovative biomarkers and therapeutic strategies.