BACKGROUND: Myocardial ischemia and hypoxia is the predominant cause of various cardiac diseases. Recent studies have shown that numerous microRNAs show dynamic regulation during myocardial ischemia and hypoxia, suggesting their involvement in the regulation of cardiovascular disease.
OBJECTIVE: To introduce the effects, mechanism and therapeutic strategy of microRNA on myocardial ischemic injure during the past 5 years.
METHODS: Taking “microRNA, cardiac, ischemia, hypoxia” as English search terms, the articles during the past 5 years in PubMed database and ISI Web of Knowledge database were retrieved by computer. The relevant literatures were included, the literature of irrelevant purpose and repetitive content were excluded, and 42 of them were involved for further analysis.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: microRNAs are small endogenous RNA with post-transcriptional regulatory activity. They act as negative regulators of gene expression by targeting 3’ UTR of mRNA, and are finally correlated with the cardiovascular disease. Recent research has revealed that microRNAs have participated in the pathological progress related to myocardial ischemia, post-ischemic cardiac remodeling and arrhythmia secondary to myocardial infarction. The microRNA expression in human intervention can exacerbate or prevent the progress of myocardial ischemic and hypoxic injury. microRNA may become the target molecular treatment of cardiovascular disease.