MicroRNAs as potential novel therapeutic targets and tools for regulating paracrine function of endothelial progenitor cells.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a protective role in the cardiovascular system by enhancing the maintenance of endothelium homeostasis and the process of new vessel formation. Recent studies show that EPCs may induce vascular regeneration and neovascularization mainly through paracrine signaling, that is, through the secretion of growth factors and pro-angiogenic cytokines. However, multiple factors might function synergistically and therefore make it difficult to manipulate EPC paracrine effects. MicroRNAs, a family of small, non-coding RNAs, are characterized by post-transcriptionally regulating multiple functionally related genes, which renders them potentially powerful therapeutic targets or tools. In this paper we propose the hypothesis that microRNAs can be utilized as a novel therapeutic strategy for regulating EPC paracrine secretion.