Extracellular vesicles in atherosclerosis and vascular calcification: the versatile non-coding RNAs from endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells

Fengyi Yu; Yingjie Duan; Chongmei Liu; Hong Huang; Xiangcheng Xiao; Zhangxiu He

doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1193660

Extracellular vesicles in atherosclerosis and vascular calcification: the versatile non-coding RNAs from endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells

Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Jul 4:10:1193660. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1193660. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Fengyi Yu¹, Yingjie Duan¹, Chongmei Liu², Hong Huang³, Xiangcheng Xiao⁴, Zhangxiu He¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
² Department of Pathology, Yueyang People's Hospital, Yueyang, Hunan, China.
³ Hengyang Medical School, The First Affiliated Hospital, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
⁴ Department of Nephrology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.

Abstract

Atherosclerosis (AS) is characterized by the accumulation of lipids, fibrous elements, and calcification in the innermost layers of arteries. Vascular calcification (VC), the deposition of calcium and phosphate within the arterial wall, is an important characteristic of AS natural history. However, medial arterial calcification (MAC) differs from intimal calcification and cannot simply be explained as the consequence of AS. Endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are directly involved in AS and VC processes. Understanding the communication between ECs and VSMCs is critical in revealing mechanisms underlying AS and VC. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are found as intercellular messengers in kinds of physiological processes and pathological progression. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) encapsulated in EVs are involved in AS and VC, including microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs). The effects of ncRNAs have not been comprehensively understood, especially encapsulated in EVs. Some ncRNAs have demonstrated significant roles in AS and VC, but it remains unclear the functions of the majority ncRNAs detected in EVs. In this review, we summarize ncRNAs encapsulated in EC-EVs and VSMC-EVs, and the signaling pathways that are involved in AS and VC.

Keywords: atherosclerosis (AS); extracellular vesicles (EVs); non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs); uremia; vascular calcification (VC).

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 81900678), the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (grant number 2021JJ40491), the Hunan Innovation Guidance Project (grant number 2021SK51811), and the Scientific Research Project of Hunan Provincial Health Commission (grant numbers 202103051523 and B202303109098).