MicroRNAs in peripheral artery disease.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is due to diffuse atherosclerosis. The pathological process is characterized mainly by the aberrant proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and the formation of neointimal lesions. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly conserved non-coding small RNA molecules that regulate a large fraction of the genome by binding to complementary mRNA sequences, resulting in post-transcriptional gene silencing. Recent evidence has demonstrated that specific miRNAs are involved in the pathological development of PAD. In this review, the roles of specific miRNAs in PAD are summarized.