New Insight into Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Diseases: An Integrative Analysis Approach to Identify TheranoMiRNAs

Abstract

MiRNAs regulate both physiological and pathological heart functions. Altered expression of miRNAs is associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), making miRNAs attractive therapeutic strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases. A recent publication defined, for the first time, the term theranoMiRNA, meaning the miRNAs that may be used both for diagnosis and treatment. The use of in silico tools may be considered fundamental for these purposes, clarifying several molecular aspects, suggesting future directions for in vivo studies. This study aims to explore different bioinformatic tools in order to clarify miRNA interactions with candidate genes, demonstrating the need to use a computational approach when establishing the most probable associations between miRNAs and target genes. This study focused on the functions of miR-133a-3p, miR-21-5p, miR-499a-5p, miR-1-3p, and miR-126-3p, providing an up-to-date overview, and suggests future lines of research in the identification of theranoMiRNAs related to CVDs. Based on the results of the present study, we elucidated the molecular mechanisms that could be linked between miRNAs and CVDs, confirming that these miRNAs play an active role in the genesis and development of heart damage. Given that CVDs are the leading cause of death in the world, the identification of theranoMiRNAs is crucial, hence the need for a definition of in vivo studies in order to obtain further evidence in this challenging field of research.

Circulating miRNA-21 is an innovative biomarker for cardiovascular events in erectile dysfunction patients

“…A recent publication defines the theranoMiRNA term by highlighting the utility of miRNAs in diagnosis and treatment ( 23 ). Considering that CVD are the leading cause of death in the world, which is even higher in women ( 24 ), the identification of theranoMiRNAs can be essential, and future research should include women among participants.…”

“…In this questionnaire, higher scores indicate lower dysfunction levels. The domain that assesses erectile function (IIEF-EF) comprises six questions with a maximum score of 30 and serves as a reliable tool for categorizing the degree of ED as severe (1-10), moderate (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16), mild (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25), and normal or no dysfunction (≥26) (17).…”

Plasma microrna quantification protocol

“…They are secreted by most cell types and involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. Moreover, recent studies demonstrate that miRNAs are promising potential biomarkers for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy response [ 1 , 2 ] . Circulating miRNAs - that is, those found in plasma - are of particular interest because they are relatively stable and easily accessible.…”