Relationship between long noncoding RNAs and physiological risk factors of cardiovascular disease.

Long noncoding ribonucleic acids (lncRNAs) are an important category of noncoding RNAs that play crucial roles in controlling the expression of genes in health and in a range of illnesses including cardiovascular disease. A large body of genetic, experimental, and epidemiologic evidence suggests roles for an increasing number of lncRNAs in the regulation of metabolism, lipid profile, inflammation, and glucose metabolism in type II diabetes. Importantly, it has been suggested that lncRNAs can regulate chromatin alteration, messenger RNA stability, microRNA action, and can control transcription factors. We aimed to highlight emerging concepts, based on the most current knowledge, regarding the roles of lncRNA in the regulation of cardiovascular risk factors such as lipid profile, glucose homeostasis, and inflammation.