Diverse roles of noncoding RNAs in vascular calcification

Vascular calcification occurs when calcium phosphate crystals are abnormally deposited in the vessel walls, thus hardening and narrowing the arteries. This condition is commonly observed in patients with diseases such as atherosclerosis, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Despite many studies being conducted, the molecular mechanism involved in vascular calcification is unknown. From recent studies, it is clear that several types of noncoding RNAs are involved in human diseases. It has also been shown that the noncoding RNAs, including microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and circular RNAs, are involved in the progression of vascular calcification. With the development of therapeutic approaches based on the manipulation of noncoding RNAs, it is speculated that the modulation of these molecules could be another strategy to treat vascular calcification in the future. In this review, we summarize the roles of various noncoding RNAs in vascular calcification and the technologies to modulate the noncoding RNAs for therapeutic purpose.