The role of microRNAs in regulating myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury

Myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury is a pathological condition characterized by an initial restriction of blood supply to the heart followed by the subsequent restoration of perfusion and concomitant re-oxygenation. This condition may cause heart injury and contribute to morbidity and mortality. Although tremendous advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms of myocardial I/R injury, the translation of these findings into the clinical setting has been largely disappointing. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, single-stranded, non-coding RNAs ranging from 18-24 nucleotides in length. They are highly conserved and ubiquitously expressed in all species, which control diverse cellular functions by either promoting degradation or inhibiting target mRNA translation. In particular, a multitude of studies demonstrated miRNAs played an important role in acute and chronic cardiovascular disease processes. In this review, we focus on miRNAs and summarize the latest insights on the role of the specific miRNAs in myocardial I/R injury.