MicroRNAs and Cardiovascular Disease Risk

AbstractPurpose of ReviewMicroRNAs (miRNAs) —short, non-coding RNAs—play important roles in almost all aspects of cardiovascular biology, and changes in intracellular miRNA expression are indicative of cardiovascular disease development and progression. Extracellular miRNAs, which are easily measured in blood and can be reflective of chan ges in intracellular miRNA levels, have emerged as potential non-invasive biomarkers for disease. This review summarizes current knowledge regarding miRNAs as biomarkers for assessing cardiovascular disease risk and prognosis.Recent FindingsNumerous studies over the last 10 –15 years have identified associations between extracellular miRNA profiles and cardiovascular disease, supporting the potential use of extracellular miRNAs as biomarkers for risk stratification. However, clinical application of extracellular miRNA profiles has been hampered by poor reproducibili ty and inter-study variability that is due largely to methodological differences between studies.SummaryWhile recent studies indicate that circulating extracellular miRNAs are promising biomarkers for cardiovascular disease, evidence for clinical implementation is lacking. This highlights the need for larger, well-designed studies that use standardized methods for sample preparation, miRNA isolation, quantification, and normalization.
Source: Current Cardiology Reports - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research