MicroRNA − a new diagnostic tool in coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction

Coronary artery disease remain one of the leading causes of mortality in the world, indicating the need for innovative therapies and diagnosis for heart disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently emerged as one of the central players in regulating gene expression which implicatate in normal cardiac development and many pathological process of the cardiovascular system, including cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, cardiac fibrosis, coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction. iRNA are small noncoding RNAs 18-23 nucleotides in length that regulate expression of target genes through sequence-specific hybridization to the 3' untranslated region of messenger RNAs and block translation. miRNAs are not only found intracellularly, but also detectable outside cells, including various body fluids (i.e. serum, plasma, saliva, urine). This review will highlight recent findings in the regulation of miRNA biogenesis and secretion, modulation of the cardiovascular pathological process in CAD and AMI and the potential as non-invasive biomarkers for cardiac ischemia.