**8. Therapeutic considerations of miRNAs in herpesvirus infection**

miRNAs can also be referred to as the endogenous post-transcriptional gene regulators and have a special advantage over drugs. miRNAs are self-molecules and hence are safer than any of the synthetic or natural compounds used as therapeutics against the infections. Another feature of miRNAs that make them interesting candidates for therapeutic considerations is their ability to regulate more that one gene expression, and inversely, the expression of a single gene can be modulated by more than one miRNA. Being the regulators of gene expression, modification of the miRNAs is an approach for changing the course of an infection or a disease. There are two ways by which the miRNA expression may be modified. One of modifications include reintroduction of the miRNA expressions by the use of specific miRNA mimics, while the second is to block the infection-induced/ modified miRNA expression by the use of the specific-miRNA inhibitors [23]. The use of miRNA mimics and inhibitors have been trending in the field of research on infectious diseases since the successful progression of miRavisen through the clinical trials to be established as therapeutics against the Hepatitis C virus [109] miRavisen is a miRNA inhibitor of miR-122, a miRNA which increases the HCV viral replication [110, 111]. Similarly, inhibitors of miR-373 or HSV-miR-H27 can be administered as therapeutics to decrease the HSV viral load in the hosts. There have also been studies where mimics of miRNAs have proved to be useful in restricting viral replication. Recently, a study identifying the significance of miR-29b mimics have been reported to decrease the Rotavirus infection considerably [112]. Likewise, mimics of miR-7704 and miR-101 could be encouraged in the HSV therapeutic research. Furthermore, the reported miRNA research could be compiled to develop therapeutic formulations involving combinations of mimics and inhibitors to synergistically suppress the HSV infection in the host. However, miRNAs, like any other therapeutics, face the challenges of target-specific delivery and off-target effects. These challenges are also being addressed by the researchers with the synthesis of appropriate miRNA-loaded nanoparticles which ensures on-site targeted delivery and optimal bioavailability while maximally reducing the off-target effects [6]. All-in-all, the potentiality of miRNAs as therapeutic agents against viral infections is being explored explicitly, also implying that their clinical applications in herpesvirus infections is inevitable.
