microRNAs and Cardiovascular Remodeling

Heart failure (HF) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality attributable largely to structural changes in the heart and with associated cardiac dysfunction. Remodeling is defined as alteration of the mass, dimensions, or shape of the heart (termed cardiac or ventricular remodeling) and vessels (vascular remodeling) in response to hemodynamic load and/or cardiovascular injury in association with neurohormonal activation. Remodeling may be described as physiologic or pathologic; alternatively, remodeling may be classified as adaptive or maladaptive. The importance of remodeling as a pathogenic mechanism has been controversial because factors leading to remodeling as well as the remodeling itself may be major determinants of patients' prognosis. The basic mechanisms of cardiovascular remodeling, and especially the roles of microRNAs in HF progression and vascular diseases, will be reviewed here.