Long noncoding RNAs: Potential therapeutic targets in cardiocerebrovascular diseases

Cardiocerebrovascular disease is a collective term for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Because of the complex mechanisms involved in cardiocerebrovascular diseases, limited effective treatments have been developed. With advancements in precision medicine, studies have focused on long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cerebrovascular diseases. LncRNAs, which are over 200 nucleotides long, regulate gene expression at epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional levels. Moreover, lncRNAs play pivotal roles in the progression of cardiocerebrovascular diseases. For example, recent studies suggested that abnormal expression of lncRNAs are closely related to the occurrence and progression of these diseases. LncRNAs regulate gene expression by specifically binding to mRNA to modulate disease progression, serving as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiocerebrovascular diseases. In this review, we discuss the roles, mechanisms, and clinical value of lncRNAs in cardiocerebrovascular diseases, providing a new perspective for the diagnosis and treatment of the diseases.