MicroRNA as key players in skin regeneration and anti-aging pathways
Authors:Hanieh Azizi1, Reza Moghadasali2, Amir Mohammad Amirkhani3, Ehsan Taghiabadi3 and Mohammad Ali Nilforoushzadeh3,4
1 Department of Advanced Biological Sciences and Technologies, University of Science and Culture, Tehran, Iran. 2 Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, Tehran, Iran. 3 Skin and Stem Cell Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Science, Iran. 4 Skin Repair Research Center, Jordan Dermatology and Hair Transplantation Center, Tehran, Iran.
Keywords:
microRNA, anti-aging therapy, skin rejuvenation, inflammation regulation.
Corresponding Author(s):
Conflict of interest statement:
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Please cite this article as:
Azizi, Reza Moghadasali, Amir Mohammad Amirkhani, Ehsan Taghiabadi, Mohammad Ali Nilforoushzadeh (2026). MicroRNA as key players in skin regeneration and anti-aging pathways. Cell Stress 10: 88-102. doi: 10.15698/cst2026.10.322
© 2026 Azizi et al. This is an open-access article released under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows the unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are acknowledged.
Abstract:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that significantly impact skin rejuvenation via gene regulation that is involved in mechanisms such as regeneration, wound repair, and aging. By potentially shifting pathways modulating inflammation, cell proliferation, and extracellular matrix remodeling, they can be considered as an effective anti-aging intervention candidate. Such molecular mechanisms of miRNAs in cutaneous homeostasis of fibroblast activity, keratinocyte differentiation, and collagen synthesis are provided in the current review. Representative miRNAs such as miRNA-124, miRNA-377, miRNA-34 family, and miRNA-29 family, miRNA-302b-3p, miRNA-361-5p, miRNA-146a, miRNA-21, miRNA-181-a, miRNA155 demonstrate distinct roles in regulating wound healing, inflammatory resolution, maintaining the extracellular matrix, and handling oxidative stress. This review highlights current knowledge of miRNA-mediated regulation in skin regeneration and aging and synthesizes recent findings on their individual functions in these biological processes. It also emphasizes the potential of miRNAbased interventions as a next generation approach to skin rejuvenation, while addressing existing challenges that must be resolved before these strategies can be translated into clinical applications.