How to be young at heart? miR-22 as a potential therapeutic target to boost autophagy and protect the old myocardium

Cardiovascular diseases remain the most common cause of death in Western countries and their prevalence in the general population increases progressively with age, reaching more than 60% in subjects older than 60 years (1). This is at least in part due to a progressive impairment of the cellular processes regulating cardiac and vascular homeostasis, finally leading to the development of cardiovascular abnormalities (2). In addition, the molecular mechanisms that protect the heart against stress are downregulated by aging, making the myocardium more susceptible to injury (2). It is therefore important to find new therapeutic targets to reduce cardiovascular aging and protect the aged myocardium from stress.