Atherosclerosis and Metabolism Unit, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Herestraat 49, O&N1, PB 705, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
FASEB J. 2011 Aug;25(8):2515-27. doi: 10.1096/fj.11-181149. Epub 2011 Apr 20.
A primary event in atherogenesis is the infiltration of activated inflammatory cells into the arterial wall. There they secrete reactive oxygen species and oxidize lipoproteins, inducing foam cell formation and endothelial cell apoptosis, which in turn lead to plaque growth, erosion, and rupture. In addition, there is evidence that this vicious circle between oxidative stress and inflammation occurs not only in the diseased arterial wall but also in adipose tissues in obesity. In this condition, oxidative stress and inflammation impair adipocyte maturation, resulting in defective insulin action and adipocytokine signaling. This observation raises questions regarding what molecules are probably common regulators of these pathogenic processes in adipose and vascular tissues. Candidates are small, noncoding, microRNAs (miRs) that control gene expression by inducing mRNA degradation or blocking translation. This review summarizes recent insights into the roles of miRs in regulation of oxidative stress and inflammation in vascular and adipose tissues. It emphasizes the role of miR-containing microvesicles in the interaction between inflammatory cells and endothelial cells within these tissues and in communication between these tissues, possibly explaining the similarity and the simultaneity of molecular changes and interactions in adipose and vascular tissues.
动脉粥样硬化形成过程中的一个主要事件是激活的炎性细胞浸润到动脉壁中。在那里，它们分泌活性氧物质并氧化脂蛋白，诱导泡沫细胞形成和内皮细胞凋亡，进而导致斑块生长、侵蚀和破裂。此外，有证据表明，氧化应激和炎症之间的这种恶性循环不仅发生在病变的动脉壁中，也发生在肥胖症的脂肪组织中。在这种情况下，氧化应激和炎症会损害脂肪细胞的成熟，导致胰岛素作用和脂肪细胞因子信号受损。这一观察结果引发了一个问题，即哪些分子可能是脂肪组织和血管组织中这些致病过程的共同调节剂。候选者是小型非编码 microRNAs（miRs），它们通过诱导 mRNA 降解或阻止翻译来控制基因表达。这篇综述总结了最近关于 miR 在调节血管和脂肪组织中氧化应激和炎症中的作用的研究进展。它强调了含有 miR 的微泡在这些组织中炎性细胞与内皮细胞之间的相互作用以及这些组织之间的通讯中的作用，这可能解释了脂肪组织和血管组织中分子变化和相互作用的相似性和同时性。
