Unravelling the interplay between plant miRNAs and plant secondary metabolites: A new frontier in cross- kingdom regulatory mechanisms.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are also known as single-stranded RNAs with 18-24 nucleotides and exhibit substantial conservation. They represent a class of innate RNAs that are essential for plant cell development, division, differentiation, proliferation, and death. The reported pharmacological effects of plant-derived secondary metabolites contribute to their therapeutic potential. Plant-derived miRNAs have drawn considerable interest as a result of their active involvement in these plant secondary metabolites (PSM). PSMs can be absorbed via diet, and exert a wide range of their therapeutic potential, via exogenous and endogenous interactions. The recent identification of plant miRNAs in controlling the expression of certain genes in mammals has attracted a lot of attention and created new opportunities for studying cross-kingdom regulatory mechanisms in biological research. This review discusses the role of miRNAs in plants, with focus on PSMs via cross-kingdom. The aim is to provide a conceptual theoretical framework based on the involvement of plant miRNA with secondary metabolites and being used as a transfer molecule for cross-kingdom gene regulation. Plant miRNAs' diverse expression patterns and ability to affect several physiological and developmental processes make them promising candidates for advancing preclinical research.

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