THE ROLE OF MICRORNA IN THE REGULATION OF PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS IN ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

Hypertension is the major risk factor for the development of stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure and renal disease and is among the major components of the metabolic syndrome, that is, obesity, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia/insulin resistance. It represents a significant health problem with foremost risks for chronic cardiovascular disease and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore, it is not surprising that this disorder constitutes a serious society. Hypertension is a complex, multifactorial disease, and its development is determined by a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. The pathophysiology of hypertension is based on multiple factors associated with dysregulation of the endothelium, dysfunction of vascular smooth muscle, nitric oxide synthesis, increased oxidative stress, impaired angiogenesis, activation of the sympathetic nervous system and altered activity of the renin-angiotensin- aldosterone system (RAAS). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNA molecules, 18-22 nucleotides in length, which, at the post-transcriptional level, function as translation inhibitors on the mRNA matrix and are involved in virtually all biological processes, including cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell differentiation. Based on the multifunctional miRNA and their direct participation in the pathogenesis of many diseases, it can be assumed that they play a key role in the pathophysiological processes that contribute to arterial hypertension. Many aspects of the development of essential hypertension at the molecular level are still unknown. The elucidation of these processes regulated by microRNAs and the identification of novel microRNA profiles is a highly valuable and exciting strategy that may eventually led to the development of novel treatment approaches of this pathology.