Emerging Roles of Micrornas in Veterinary Cardiology
by
, , ,
Ana Reis-Ferreira
1,2
,
Joana Neto-Mendes
2,
Carmen Brás-Silva
3,
Luís Lobo
1,4,5 and
Ana Patrícia Fontes-Sousa
2,6,7,*
1
Hospital Veterinário do Porto, Travessa Silva Porto 174, 4250-475 Porto, Portugal
2
ICBAS-UP, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
3
UnIC@RISE, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
4
Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal
5
Centro de Estudos de Ciência Animal, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4480-009 Vila do Conde, Portugal
6
Departamento de Imuno-Fisiologia e Farmacologia, Centro de Investigação Farmacológica e Inovação Medicamentosa (MedInUP), Universidade do Porto, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
7
UPVET, Hospital Veterinário da Universidade do Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 132, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Vet. Sci. 2022, 9(10), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9100533
Submission received: 26 July 2022
/
Revised: 15 September 2022
/
Accepted: 20 September 2022
/
Published: 28 September 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Small Animal Cardiovascular Disease)
Simple Summary
MicroRNAs are promising novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. These molecules are defined as a class of short-sequence non-coding RNAs that influence the expression of numerous genes. The growing understanding of cardiac biology contributed to recognising specific abnormal microRNA expression when diseases are present, which makes them potential biomarkers and therapeutical targets. Recent studies have analysed and discussed microRNA expression in cardiac diseases, such as myxomatous mitral valve disease, which are prevalent in our animal companions. This review summarises the most relevant microRNAs related to cardiovascular diseases in dogs and cats. In addition, it describes microRNA’s basic biology and function and discusses their potential as circulating biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and monitorisation of treatment, as well as their limitations. Although current studies describe microRNA expression in veterinary cardiology, further work is warranted before they are implemented in the clinical setting.
Abstract
Over the last years, the importance of microRNAs (miRNAs) has increasingly been recognised. Each miRNA is a short sequence of non-coding RNA that influences countless genes’ expression and, thereby, contributes to several physiological pathways and diseases. It has been demonstrated that miRNAs participate in the development of many cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This review synopsises the most recent studies emphasising miRNA’s influence in several CVDs affecting dogs and cats. It provides a concise outline of miRNA’s biology and function, the diagnostic potential of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers, and their role in different CVDs. It also discusses known and future roles for miRNAs as potential clinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets. So, this review gives a comprehensive outline of the most relevant miRNAs related to CVDs in Veterinary Medicine.
Keywords:
microRNAs; cardiovascular diseases; biomarker; dog; cat
