MiR-133a is a potential target for arterial calcification in patients with end-stage renal disease

MicroRNAs and vascular damage in chronic kidney disease: advances and clinical implications

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is closely associated with endothelial dysfunction and vascular calcification, which are major contributors to the development of cardiovascular disease in this population. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and other cellular processes. Recent studies have demonstrated that changes in the levels of several miRNAs are associated with the progression of renal dysfunction. Patients with CKD have reduced levels of miR-126, a microRNA produced by the endothelium that has an atheroprotective function. Reduced miRNA levels that inhibit vascular calcification, such as miR-133a and miR-204-5p, are also found in patients with CKD. These changes may contribute to vascular dysfunction in these patients. Therefore, understanding the profile of microRNAs in the context of CKD may be important for the identification of new biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets. Given the growing relevance of microRNA analysis, this review addresses recent advances in the study of microRNAs related to vascular dysfunction in CKD and their potential applications in translational clinical practice.

Developing Therapeutically Enhanced Extracellular Vesicles for Atherosclerosis Therapy

Atherosclerosis is a chronic condition and the leading cause of death worldwide. While statin therapy is the clinical standard, many patients still experience acute cardiovascular events.  To develop better therapies, the group previously delivered microRNA-145 (miR-145) via micellar nanoparticles to vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to inhibit atherosclerosis. However, for chronic diseases requiring repeat dosing, synthetic nanoparticles have drawbacks such as immunogenic response and low delivery efficiency. To meet this challenge, therapeutically enhanced extracellular vesicles (EVs) are engineered as a biologically-derived nanoparticle modality to mitigate atherosclerosis. A novel strategy is employed to load miR-145 into EVs using ExoMotifs-short miRNA sequences that facilitate miR cargo loading. EVs are further functionalized with a monocyte chemoattractant 1 (MCP-1) peptide, which binds to C-C chemokine receptor 2 upregulated in pathogenic VSMCs. Mouse aortic smooth muscle cell MCP-1-miR-145 EVs restored VSMC gene expression and function in vitro. Moreover, compared to miR-145-loaded synthetic nanoparticles, MCP-1-miR-145 EVs exerted similar therapeutic effects but with 25,000x less miR-145 cargo. Lastly, MCP-1-miR-145 EVs inhibited plaque growth in mid-stage ApoE-/- atherosclerotic mice at a miR-145 dose 5000x less than synthetic nanoparticles. Collectively, it is demonstrated that genetic engineering of VSMCs with miR-145 produces therapeutically boosted EVs that reduce atherosclerosis plaque burden.

The characteristic expression of circulating MicroRNAs in osteoporosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

To evaluate the characteristics of the circulating microRNA expression profiles in patients with osteoporosis.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed using the Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP, and WANFANG databases from inception until 1 March 2024. The search strategy employed keywords, encompassing "osteoporosis", "bone loss", or "osteopenia" and "miRNA" or "microRNA". The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) quality assessment scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality. Heterogeneity tests and statistical analyses of all data were performed by Stata 16.0. The differences in microRNA levels between groups were illustrated by the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI).

Results

A total of 27 studies were included and analyzed in the meta-analysis, with 2,263 participants. The results showed that miR-21-5p (WMD 0.88, 95% CI: 0.22 to 1.55), miR-125b-5p (WMD 6.63, 95% CI: 0.19 to 13.08), miR-483-5p(WMD 6.43, 95% CI: 3.26 to 9.61), miR-133a (WMD 1.43, 95% CI: 1.39 to 1.47), miR-422a (WMD 1, 95% CI: 0.28 to 1.72), and miR-214-3p (WMD 2.03, 95% CI: 0.14 to 3.92) were significantly upregulated, and miR-497-5p (WMD -0.57, 95% CI: -0.98 to -0.17) was significantly downregulated.

Conclusion

miR-21-5p, miR-125b-5p, miR-483-5p, miR-133a, miR-497-5p, miR-422a, and miR-214-3p might serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers for osteoporosis. In the future, integrating these miRNAs to build a diagnostic model might be a promising diagnosis strategy for osteoporosis.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ , identifier CRD42023481209.

Vascular calcification: Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic interventions

Vascular calcification (VC) is recognized as a pathological vascular disorder associated with various diseases, such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, aortic valve stenosis, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, as well as chronic kidney disease. Therefore, it is a life-threatening state for human health. There were several studies targeting mechanisms of VC that revealed the importance of vascular smooth muscle cells transdifferentiating, phosphorous and calcium milieu, as well as matrix vesicles on the progress of VC. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of VC need to be elucidated. Though there is no acknowledged effective therapeutic strategy to reverse or cure VC clinically, recent evidence has proved that VC is not a passive irreversible comorbidity but an active process regulated by many factors. Some available approaches targeting the underlying molecular mechanism provide promising prospects for the therapy of VC. This review aims to summarize the novel findings on molecular mechanisms and therapeutic interventions of VC, including the role of inflammatory responses, endoplasmic reticulum stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, iron homeostasis, metabolic imbalance, and some related signaling pathways on VC progression. We also conclude some recent studies on controversial interventions in the clinical practice of VC, such as calcium channel blockers, renin-angiotensin system inhibitions, statins, bisphosphonates, denosumab, vitamins, and ion conditioning agents.

Extracellular vesicles in vascular remodeling

Vascular remodeling contributes to the development of a variety of vascular diseases including hypertension and atherosclerosis. Phenotypic transformation of vascular cells, oxidative stress, inflammation and vascular calcification are closely associated with vascular remodeling. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are naturally released from almost all types of cells and can be detected in nearly all body fluids including blood and urine. EVs affect vascular oxidative stress, inflammation, calcification, and lipid plaque formation; and thereby impact vascular remodeling in a variety of cardiovascular diseases. EVs may be used as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, and therapeutic strategies for vascular remodeling and cardiovascular diseases. This review includes a comprehensive analysis of the roles of EVs in the vascular remodeling in vascular diseases, and the prospects of EVs in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases.