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Review
. 2015 Feb;5(1):17-36.
doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2223-3652.2014.12.03.

microRNA-based diagnostics and therapy in cardiovascular disease-Summing up the facts

Christian Schulte  1 , Tanja Zeller  1
Affiliations
Review

microRNA-based diagnostics and therapy in cardiovascular disease-Summing up the facts

Christian Schulte et al. Cardiovasc Diagn Ther. 2015 Feb.

Abstract

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are discussed as potential disease-specific biomarkers in cardiovascular disease. Their diagnostic value has been examined in numerous studies and animal models with respect to coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI) and the prognostic abilities of circulating miRNAs in risk stratification of future disease have been evaluated. Various miRNAs are described to complement protein-based biomarkers or classical risk factors in the diagnosis of CAD or MI and even represent potential new biomarkers in the discrimination of unstable angina pectoris (UAP). Signatures consisting of sets of multiple miRNAs seem to improve the predictive power compared to single miRNAs. Furthermore, the emerging field of miRNA-based therapeutics has reached cardiovascular research. The first promising in vitro results are raising hope for future clinical application. However, methods and material used for RNA isolation, miRNA detection and normalization steps still lack ways of standardization and need to be considered carefully. This article reviews the current knowledge of miRNAs in cardiovascular disease focusing on CAD and MI and will provide an overview regarding the use of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in the field of CAD.

Keywords: Artery disease; biomarker; cardiovascular disease; circulating; coronary; diagnostic; microRNA (miRNA); myocardial infarction (MI); prognostic; risk stratification.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Use of miRNAs as therapeutics. Endogenous miRNAs (middle) activate the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) which in turn causes translational repression as well as mRNA cleavage and thus inhibits expression of genes and proteins. mirmimics (left) are artificial double-stranded miRNA-like RNA fragments that can be applied into the organism to additionally and specifically activate RISC and finally further reduce certain protein and gene expression. Antagomirs (right) are chemically engineered oligonucleotides specifically silencing endogenous miRNAs in order to reduce RISC activation and reduce translational repression/mRNA cleavage and in the end increase protein- and gene expression.
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