Revealing new landscape of cardiovascular disease through circular RNA-miRNA-mRNA axis

Non-coding RNA (ncRNA) is a kind of RNA, produced by genomic transcription and does not encode protein, but can regulate the function of genes, thus widely regulating pathological and physiological processes. The dynamic balance of the reticular structure between them is needed to regulate the homeostasis, the abnormal regulation of one of them may lead to the occurrence of the disease. CircRNA is mainly involved in the evolution of CVD through sponge-like regulation of miRNAs, subsequently regulating miRNAs and their targets, mRNA functions. The role of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA axis in pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases has been recently reported and highlighted. In this review, the emerging roles of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA axis in cardiovascular pathophysiology and regulation were discussed, with a novel focus on cardioprotective network activities of the circRNA.