Intracellular Delivery Strategies for MicroRNAs and Potential Therapies for Human Cardiovascular Diseases

Michael A. Shi and Guo-Ping Shi^*

Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, NRB-7, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) effectively regulate gene expression in cultured cells and human disease models, and such regulation can be blocked with antibodies against miRNAs if miRNA-associated adverse effects occur. Promising findings using miRNAs to prevent disease progression in animal studies give hope to patients with disorders caused by dysregulated gene expression, such as cardiovascular diseases. Inflammatory cell infiltration, endothelial cell dysfunction, and angiogenesis are common pathologies of cardiovascular diseases. Accumulating data suggest that miRNA-mediated inhibition of gene expression can drive these pathologies in cardiac tissue or vasculature. It is often desirable to deliver exogenously prepared miRNAs or antibodies against miRNAs to target genes or miRNAs in specific cell or tissue types. Because naked miRNAs or antibodies against miRNAs are often unstable in the circulation, investigation has focused on their packaging and efficient delivery to diseased organs.

* Corresponding author. Telephone, 617-525-4358; fax, 617-525-4380; e-mail, gshi{at}rics.bwh.harvard.edu

The editors suggest the following Related Resources on Science sites:

In Science Signaling

EDITORS' CHOICE
Exosomes
Restraining Dangerous Neighbors

Elizabeth M. Adler (17 January 2012)
Sci. Signal. 5 (207), ec23. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2002855]
 |  Abstract »

EDITORIAL GUIDES
Posttranscriptional Regulation
Focus Issue: Signals for Gene Expression

Wei Wong (2 November 2010)
Sci. Signal. 3 (146), eg10. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.3146eg10]
 |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »

EDITORS' CHOICE
MicroRNAs
Sending a Package Through the Blood

Elizabeth M. Adler (20 July 2010)
Sci. Signal. 3 (131), ec220. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.3131ec220]
 |  Abstract »

RESEARCH ARTICLES
Atherosclerosis
Delivery of MicroRNA-126 by Apoptotic Bodies Induces CXCL12-Dependent Vascular Protection

Alma Zernecke, Kiril Bidzhekov, Heidi Noels, Erdenechimeg Shagdarsuren, Lin Gan, Bernd Denecke, Mihail Hristov, Thomas Köppel, Maliheh Nazari Jahantigh, Esther Lutgens, Shusheng Wang, Eric N. Olson, Andreas Schober, and Christian Weber (8 December 2009)
Sci. Signal. 2 (100), ra81. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2000610]
 |  Editor's Summary »  |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »  |  Supplementary Materials »

PERSPECTIVES
Cell Biology
MicroRNAs: Opening a New Vein in Angiogenesis Research

Jason E. Fish and Deepak Srivastava (6 January 2009)
Sci. Signal. 2 (52), pe1. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.252pe1]
 |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »