MicroRNAs in ischemia-reperfusion injury

Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major causal factor of tissue injury in various clinical settings including myocardial infarction, stroke, and free microsurgical tissue transfer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are short, non-coding RNA molecules involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. During the last years they have emerged as regulators of IRI as well as ischemic preconditioning and ischemic postconditioning. Here we give an overview of the current literature and describe the potential use of miRNA-based therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of ischemia-reperfusion injury in the future.