Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is the second most common type of dementia that accounts for 15 to 30%. To date, VCI still lacks an effective therapeutic strategy and an objective diagnostic tool. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that control gene expression at the post-translational level, playing an essential role in the pathogenesis of VCI. Moreover, accumulating evidence has indicated that miRNAs could be used as therapeutic strategies and diagnostic biomarkers of diseases. In this review, we summarize various mechanisms of miRNA-based therapeutics and candidate miRNAs for clinical diagnosis in VCI. Results showed that miRNAs participate in VCI via different mechanisms, including neuronal death, inflammation, oxidative stress, blood-brain barrier permeability, and synaptic translation. Circulating miRNAs of VCI have been detected in serum, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid with various diagnostic power. Taking together, miRNAs are a potential biomarker for being a therapeutic agent and a diagnostic tool of VCI.
Keywords: Diagnosis; Mechanism; Vascular cognitive impairment; microRNA.