Endothelial dysfunction and cardiometabolic diseases: Role of long non-coding RNAs

The vascular endothelium is recognized as a barrier between blood and blood vessel wall. The abnormality of vascular endothelium is critical for atherosclerosis, hypertension and diabetes. Oxidative stress, inflammation, obesity, hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance are major contributors to endothelial dysfunction in cardiovascular disorders. Therapeutic strategies against endothelial dysfunction are developed to prevent and treat vascular lesions. In recent years, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerged as novel modulators in the proliferation and differentiation of various cell types. LncRNAs have attracted considerable attention due to their multiple biological roles in the prognostic prediction, diagnosis and treatment of cancers. LncRNAs are also involved in pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. However, the correlations between lncRNAs and endothelial dysfunction are still largely obscure. In this review, we will highlight recent updates associated to the importance of lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in cardiovascular disorders, and the basic molecular mechanisms of lncRNAs in regulation of endothelial function are also discussed. LncRNAs may become promising therapeutic targets in endothelial dysfunction-related diseases.