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Updated: Dec 9, 2025
Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Imaging of Aortic Calcification and Inflammation
Published on: May 31, 2016
The roles of non-coding RNAs in vascular calcification and opportunities as therapeutic targets
Juhee Ryu1, Youngkeun Ahn2, Hyun Kook3
1Basic Research Laboratory for Vascular Remodeling, Chonnam National University Medical School, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Center for Creative Biomedical Scientists at Chonnam National University, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea; Department of Biochemistry, Chonnam National University Medical School, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea; Department of Pharmacology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea.
Insights
Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are emerging regulators of vascular calcification (VC), a prevalent condition lacking approved therapies. Understanding ncRNAs offers new diagnostic and therapeutic avenues for VC.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Genetics
Background:
- Vascular calcification (VC) involves calcium phosphate crystal accumulation in vessel walls, frequently linked to diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- Despite high prevalence, effective therapies for VC remain unavailable, highlighting the need for novel mechanistic insights.
- While protein-coding RNAs in VC are well-studied, the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and discuss the regulatory roles of various non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in vascular calcification (VC).
- To explore the potential of ncRNAs as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for VC.
- To elucidate novel mechanisms underlying VC pathogenesis involving ncRNAs.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) implicated in vascular calcification (VC).
- Analysis of studies focusing on microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) in VC.
- Discussion of the functional roles (promoter or inhibitor) of ncRNAs in VC development.
Main Results:
- Accumulating evidence indicates that ncRNAs, including miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs, significantly regulate VC.
- These ncRNAs can act as either promoters or inhibitors in the process of vascular calcification.
- Dysregulation of specific ncRNAs is increasingly recognized as a key factor in VC pathogenesis.
Conclusions:
- Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) represent a critical, yet understudied, class of molecules involved in vascular calcification (VC).
- ncRNAs hold significant promise for the clinical diagnosis and development of novel therapeutic strategies for VC.
- Further research into ncRNA mechanisms is essential for advancing VC treatment.
Abstract:
Vascular calcification (VC) is characterized by an accumulation of calcium phosphate crystals inside the vessel wall. VC is often associated with diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Even though the number of patients with VC remains prevalent, there are still no approved therapies for the treatment of VC. Since the pathogenesis of VC is diverse and involves multiple factors and mechanisms, it is critical to reveal the novel mechanisms involved in VC. Although protein-coding RNAs involved in VC have been extensively studied, the roles of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are not yet fully understood. The field of ncRNAs has recently received attention, and accumulating evidence from studies in VC suggests that ncRNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), play an important role in the regulation of VC. NcRNAs can modulate VC by acting as promoters or inhibitors and may be useful in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of VC. In this article, we review and discuss ncRNAs that regulate VC and present the therapeutic implications of these ncRNAs.
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