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In Vivo Nanovector Delivery of a Heart-specific MicroRNA-sponge

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Published on: June 15, 2018

Therapeutic Value of miRNAs in Coronary Artery Disease

Md Sayed Ali Sheikh¹, A Alduraywish¹, A Almaeen²

¹Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Jouf University, Sakaka, Saudi Arabia.

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

|May 6, 2021

Insights

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators in coronary artery disease (CAD). Modulating miRNA levels offers potential for novel diagnostics and therapeutics for this widespread cardiovascular condition.

Area of Science:

Cardiovascular Biology
Molecular Medicine
Genetics

Background:

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains a leading global cause of mortality, driven by chronic coronary atherosclerosis.
Despite advances in cardiovascular disease management, CAD prevalence is rising, necessitating deeper molecular understanding.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are increasingly recognized for their critical roles in cardiovascular development, function, and disease, including CAD pathogenesis and aging.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and discuss the involvement of miRNAs in CAD.
To explore the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of miRNAs in CAD.
To examine the role of miRNAs in atherosclerosis plaque initiation and progression.

Main Methods:

Literature review of experimental and clinical evidence on miRNAs in CAD.
Analysis of miRNA deregulation in CAD pathogenesis and cardiac aging.
Focus on miRNA involvement in atherosclerosis plaque development.

Main Results:

Deregulation of cardiac-enriched miRNAs is implicated in CAD pathogenesis and biological aging.
Modulating single miRNA genes (using ago-miRNA or anti-miRNA) can impact CAD progression.
miRNAs influence age-dependent cardiac cell death and cardiac function.
miRNAs play a role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis.

Conclusions:

miRNAs are crucial regulators in CAD and atherosclerosis.
Targeting miRNAs presents promising avenues for CAD diagnosis and therapy.
Further research into miRNA mechanisms can yield innovative therapeutic strategies for CAD.

Read full analysis

Abstract:

Atherosclerotic ischemic coronary artery disease (CAD) is a significant community health challenge and the principal cause of morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries for all ethnic groups. The progressive chronic coronary atherosclerosis is the main underlying cause of CAD. Although enormous progress occurred in the last three decades in the management of cardiovascular diseases, the prevalence of CAD continues to increase worldwide, indicating the need for discovery of deeper molecular insights of CAD mechanisms, biomarkers, and innovative therapeutic targets. Recently, several research groups established that microRNAs essentially regulate various cardiovascular development and functions, and a deregulated cardiac enriched microRNA profile plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of CAD and its biological aging. Numerous studies established that over- or downregulation of a single miRNA gene by ago-miRNA or anti-miRNA is enough to modify the CAD disease process, significantly prevent age-dependent cardiac cell death, and markedly improve cardiac function. In the light of more recent experimental and clinical evidences, we briefly reviewed and discussed the involvement of miRNAs in CAD and their possible diagnostic/therapeutic values. Moreover, we also focused on the role of miRNAs in the initiation and progression of the atherosclerosis plaque as the strongest risk factor for CAD.

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