The emerging roles of particulate matter-changed non-coding RNAs in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease: A comprehensive in silico analysis and review.

Research on epigenetic‒environmental interactions in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has accelerated rapidly in recent decades. Numerous studies have demonstrated the contribution of ambient particulate matter (PM) to the onset of AD. Emerging evidence indicates that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including long non-coding RNAs, circular RNAs, and microRNAs, play a role in the pathophysiology of AD. In this review, we provide an overview of PM-altered ncRNAs in the brain, with emphasis on their potential roles in the pathogenesis of AD. These results suggest that these PM-altered ncRNAs are involved in the regulation of amyloid-beta pathology, microtubule-associated protein Tau pathology, synaptic dysfunction, damage to the blood‒brain barrier, microglial dysfunction, dysmyelination, and neuronal loss. In addition, we utilized in silico analysis to explore the biological functions of PM-altered ncRNAs in the development of AD. This review summarizes the knowns and unknowns of PM-altered ncRNAs in AD pathogenesis and discusses the current dilemma regarding PM-altered ncRNAs as promising biomarkers of AD. Altogether, this is the first thorough review of the connection between PM exposure and ncRNAs in AD pathogenesis, which may offer novel insights into the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of AD associated with ambient PM exposure.