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Review
. 2021 Oct:118:150-162.
doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.07.007. Epub 2021 Jul 17.

Non-coding RNAs in cardiac regeneration: Mechanism of action and therapeutic potential

Yi Wang  1 , Jinghai Chen  2 , Douglas B Cowan  1 , Da-Zhi Wang  3
Affiliations
Review

Non-coding RNAs in cardiac regeneration: Mechanism of action and therapeutic potential

Yi Wang et al. Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

In the past two decades, thousands of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been discovered, annotated, and characterized in nearly every tissue under both physiological and pathological conditions. Here, we will focus on the role of ncRNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) in ischemic heart disease (IHD), which remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in humans-resulting in 8.9 million deaths annually. Cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation, differentiation, and survival in addition to neovascularization of injured tissues and the prevention of fibrosis are commonly regarded as critically important for the recovery of the heart following myocardial infarction (MI). An abundance of evidence has been accumulated to show ncRNAs participate in cardiac recovery after MI. Because miRNAs are important regulators of cardiac regeneration, the therapeutic potential of at least five of these molecules has been assessed in large animal models of human IHD. In particular, miRNA-based interventions based on miR-132 and miR-92a inhibition in related diseases have displayed favorable outcomes that have provided the impetus for miRNA-based clinical trials for IHD. At the same time, the functional roles of lncRNAs and circRNAs in cardiac regeneration are also being explored. In the present review, we will summarize the latest ncRNA studies aimed at reversing damage to the ischemic heart and discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs to stimulate cardiac regeneration.

Keywords: Cardiac regeneration; Circular RNAs; Fibrosis; Ischemic heart disease; Long non-coding RNA; MiRNAs; Neovascularization; Non-coding RNAs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interests

We have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
MiRNAs in cardiac regeneration
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
LncRNAs in cardiac regeneration
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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