Abstract
Cardiovascular calcification, manifested by
coronary artery calcification and aortic valve stenosis, is a
widespread condition that is becoming more common with
the aging of the general population. No disease-modifying
therapies currently exist for any forms of cardiovascular
calcification. A number of similarities exist between
pathological calcification in cardiovascular tissue and
physiological calcification in bone, termed osteogenesis.
MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that have been shown
to have multiple effects throughout the cardiovascular
system. In this review, we discuss the pre-clinical evidence
supporting a role for microRNAs in osteogenesis, with a focus
on cardiovascular calcification. The microRNAs with most
evidence implicating them in the disease process are the
miR-17~92 cluster, miR-23a/27a/24-2 family, miR-26a, miR-29b,
the miR-30 family, miR-31, miR-125b, miR-133a, miR-143/145,
miR-155, and miR-221/222. We also highlight the limitations
of current evidence in this field, such as the lack of studies
using high-throughput technologies.