Micro RNAs: The Game Changers of Diagnosis and Therapy of Human Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are 21-23 nucleotide-long non-protein-coding RNAs discovered in C. elegans in 1993 that resist endogenous RNase activity. More than one hundred miRNAs were discovered in samples from healthy humans and identified as circulating miRNAs. These small RNAs function as regulatory elements in many cellular events. miRNAs act by reducing the expression of the target gene. Although the use of miRNAs in cardiovascular health has not yet been supported by clinical trials, recent studies have suggested that they can be used as clinical biomarkers in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. However, the promising results of current studies support potential future applications of miRNA therapeutics. In this paper, the action mechanisms of miRNAs and their potential use as a biomarker in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases are mentioned.