microRNAs: critical targets for treating rheumatoid arthritis angiogenesis

Abstract

Vascular neogenesis, an early event in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) inflammation, is critical for the formation of synovial vascular networks and plays a key role in the progression and persistence of chronic RA inflammation. microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of single-stranded, non-coding RNAs with approximately 21–23 nucleotides in length, regulate gene expression by binding to the 3′ untranslated region (3′-UTR) of specific mRNAs. Increasing evidence suggests that miRNAs are differently expressed in diseases associated with vascular neogenesis and play a crucial role in disease-related vascular neogenesis. However, current studies are not sufficient and further experimental studies are needed to validate and establish the relationship between miRNAs and diseases associated with vascular neogenesis, and to determine the specific role of miRNAs in vascular development pathways. To better treat vascular neogenesis in diseases such as RA, we need additional studies on the role of miRNAs and their target genes in vascular development, and to provide more strategic references. In addition, future studies can use modern biotechnological methods such as proteomics and transcriptomics to investigate the expression and regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs, providing a more comprehensive and in-depth research basis for the treatment of related diseases such as RA.

Keywords:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• microRNAs
• angiogenesis
• therapeutic target
• miR based therapeutics

Author contributions

Lingyun Zhao and Qingze Wu wrote the original draft. Yiying Long and Qirui Qu prepared the figures. Fang Qi and Li Liu revised the figures. Liang Zhang and Kun Ai edited and critically reviewed the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Ethical approval

Not applicable.

Consent form

Not applicable.

Disclosure statement

The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

Not applicable.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82074565), General Project of Scientific Research, Hunan Provincial Department of Education (21C0254) and Hunan Graduate Research Innovation Project (CX20220798).