The effects of non-coding RNAs on autophagy in regulating cardiac hypertrophy

Cardiac hypertrophy is an independent risk factor of heart failure. The molecular mechanisms involved in cardiac hypertrophy are complicated and deserve further investigation. Varieties of studies have focused on the relationship between cardiac hypertrophy and catabolic progress, especially autophagic activity. Autophagy is an intracellular degradation process for proteins and organelles to maintain cellular homeostasis. Recent studies have showed that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) may play important roles in regulating cellular autophagy and cardiac remodeling. In this review, we summarize ncRNAs, mainly microRNAs (miRNAs), which have been reported to regulate cardiac hypertrophy through autophagy. Alteration of miRNAs expression by novel therapeutics would provide a promising approach for the treatment of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.