miR-219a suppresses human trophoblast cell invasion and proliferation by targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2)

The NFκB Signaling Pathway Is Involved in the Pathophysiological Process of Preeclampsia

The high prevalence of preeclampsia (PE) is a major cause of maternal and fetal mortality and affects the long-term prognosis of both mother and baby. Termination of pregnancy is currently the only effective treatment for PE, so there is an urgent need for research into its pathogenesis and the development of new therapeutic approaches. The NFκB family of transcription factors has an essential role in inflammation and innate immunity. In this review, we summarize the role of NFκB in normal and preeclampsia pregnancies, the role of NFκB in existing treatment strategies, and potential NFκB treatment strategies.

HMOX1 Participates in Pre-Eclampsia by Regulating the Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Angiogenesis Modulation Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells via VEGF

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are involved in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia (PE). Heme oxygenase (HMOX) protects against placental cytotoxic injuries associated with PE. Here, we aimed to clarify the roles of HMOX1 in MSC proliferation and apoptosis, trophoblast cell migration, and regulation of angiogenesis, and assess its involvement in the pathogenesis of PE. HMOX1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression levels in decidual tissues and decidua-derived MSCs (dMSCs) of healthy pregnant women and patients with PE were evaluated via quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Moreover, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, flow cytometry, and transwell assays were used to analyze the cell viability, apoptosis, and migration, respectively. The tube formation ability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was also evaluated. Compared to the healthy pregnant women, HMOX1 expression was upregulated in the decidual tissue and downregulated in the dMSCs of patients with PE. HMOX1 overexpression significantly increased dMSC proliferation, decreased cell apoptosis, and increased VEGF expression. Moreover, HMOX1-plasmid transfected dMSC culture supernatant promoted the migration of HTR-8/SVneo cells and improved angiogenesis by HUVECs. The opposite effects were observed in HMOX1-small interfering RNA-treated dMSCs cells. However, VEGF-siRNA reversed the effects of HMOX1-plasmid. HMOX1 is involved in the pathogenesis of PE by regulating the proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis modulation potential of MSCs via VEGF, acting as a potential therapeutic target for PE.

miR‑424‑5p is downregulated in the placentas of patients with preeclampsia and affects trophoblast migration and invasion

Insufficient invasion of trophoblast cells has been reported to be closely associated with the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE). MicroRNAs (miRs) have essential roles in the trophoblasts invasion via targeting specific genes with diverse functions. However, the underlying mechanism remains largely unclear and requires further investigation. The present study aimed to identify and evaluate the potential functions of miRs in trophoblasts invasion and to reveal the underlying mechanisms. In the present study, differentially expressed miRs that were screened based on previously published microarray data (GSE96985) and a significantly downregulated miR-424-5p (miR-424) was chosen for further investigation. Subsequently, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, CCK-8, apoptosis, wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to determine the cell viability, apoptotic rate, cell migration and invasion of trophoblast cells. The results showed that miR-424 was decreased in placenta specimens from patients with PE. Upregulation of miR-424 promoted cell viability, suppressed cell apoptosis and improved the invasion and migration of trophoblasts, whereas inhibition of miR-424 had opposite results. Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), a key mediator of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, was identified as a functional target of miR-424 and an inverse relationship was observed between APC and miR-424 in placenta specimens. Further investigations revealed that APC overexpression efficiently suppressed the effect of miR-424 in trophoblast cells. In addition, the miR-424-mediated effects on trophoblast cells were dependent on the promotion of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. The present findings revealed that miR-424 regulates the trophoblast cell invasion by regulating Wnt/β-catenin pathway through targeting APC, indicating miR-424 as a potential candidate for the treatment of PE.

Maternal circulating exosomal miR-185-5p levels as a predictive biomarker in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to explore the predictive role of microRNAs (miRNAs) from maternal serum exosomes in early recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and the related mechanism in early pregnancy.

METHODS

Maternal serum was collected from pregnant women with RPL history or women with ongoing pregnancy (OP); serum exosomes were extracted and identified. Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs in exosomes were screened by RNA sequencing and further validated by qRT-PCR. Next, the predictive value of exosomal miRNA and the clinical indicators for subsequent miscarriage in RPL patients were evaluated. Additionally, we verified the regulatory relationship between miR-185-5p and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in decidual natural killer (dNK) cells by overloading or inhibiting the exosomal miR-185-5p level in trophoblast cells.

RESULTS

The miRNA sequencing revealed 43 DE miRNAs between OP and RPL patients. The five most significant DE miRNAs (miR-22-3p, miR-185-5p, miR-335-3p, miR-362-5p, and miR-378a-3p) were selected for identification, and miR-185-5p was increased in RPL patients. The area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic was 0.925 when using miR-185-5p as a biomarker for subsequent miscarriage in RPL patients. In addition, miR-185-5p in exosomes secreted from HTR-8 cells reduces VEGF expression of dNK cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study, for the first time, successfully constructed the correlation between maternal circulating exosomal miR-185-5p expression pattern and RPL, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of RPL by downregulating the VEGFA of dNK cells and perturbing angiogenesis at the maternal-fetal interface.

The expression of Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway in the placenta of patients with preeclampsia and its connection with prognosis

This study aimed to analyse the expression of Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway in the placenta of patients with preeclampsia (PE). Clinical data of 111 PE patients were retrospectively analysed and divided into mild group (n = 61) and severe group (n = 50) according to the severity of condition. Another 45 healthy mothers were selected as healthy group. The value of Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway-related proteins in predicting prognosis of PE patients was analysed. The severe group had higher Sirt1 and lower FoxO1 protein expressions than the mild and healthy groups (p < 0.05). Sirt1 protein expression was positively correlated with ROS, LHP, NOX4, IL-1β, IL-6, HMGB1, CRP, VCAM-1, Caspase-3, Fas, Apaf-1 and ET-1 in PE patients (r > 0, p < 0.05), while FoxO1 protein expression was negatively correlated with these indices (r < 0, p < 0.05). Sirt1 protein expression was negatively correlated with SOD, CAT, GSH-Px, Bcl-2, Mcl-2, P57_kip2 and NO (r < 0, p < 0.05), while FoxO1 protein expression was positively correlated with these indices (r > 0, p < 0.05). The expression of Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway related proteins was abnormal in placenta of PE patients, and was closely related to the expression of oxidative stress, inflammatory response, endothelial damage factors and apoptotic molecules.IMPACT STATEMENTWhat is already known on this subject? The Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway is abnormally expressed in the placenta of preeclampsia patients, with Sirt1 protein expression up-regulated and FoxO1 protein expression down-regulated, both of which are closely related to the expression of oxidative stress, inflammatory response, endothelial damage factors and apoptotic molecules in the placenta of preeclampsia patients.What do the results of this study add? The results of this study add to the knowledge about the role of the Sirt1/FoxO1 pathway in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? These findings provide a basis for predicting poor pregnancy outcomes in patients with preeclampsia in clinical practice.

Regulatory roles of non-coding RNAs and m6A modification in trophoblast functions and the occurrence of its related adverse pregnancy outcomes

Adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, fetal growth restriction, and recurrent miscarriage, occur frequently in pregnant women and might further induce morbidity and mortality for both mother and fetus. Increasing studies have shown that dysfunctions of human trophoblast are related to these adverse pregnancy outcomes. Recent studies also showed that environmental toxicants could induce trophoblast dysfunctions. Moreover, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been reported to play important regulatory roles in various cellular processes. However, the roles of ncRNAs in the regulation of trophoblast dysfunctions and the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes still need to be further investigated, especially with exposure to environmental toxicants. In this review, we analyzed the regulatory mechanisms of ncRNAs and m6A methylation modification in the dysfunctions of trophoblast cells and the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes and also summarized the harmful effects of environmental toxicants. In addition to DNA replication, mRNA transcription, and protein translation, ncRNAs and m6A modification might be considered as the fourth and fifth elements that regulate the genetic central dogma, respectively. Environmental toxicants might also affect these processes. In this review, we expect to provide a deeper scientific understanding of the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes and to discover potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of these outcomes.

Non-Coding RNAs Regulate Spontaneous Abortion: A Global Network and System Perspective

Spontaneous abortion is a common pregnancy complication that negatively impacts women’s health and commercial pig production. It has been demonstrated that non-coding RNA (ncRNA) is involved in SA by affecting cell proliferation, invasion, apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT), migration, and immune response. Over the last decade, research on ncRNAs in SA has primarily concentrated on micro RNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs). In this review, we discuss recent ncRNA studies focused on the function and mechanism of miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs in regulating SA. Meanwhile, we suggest that a ceRNA regulatory network exists in the onset and development of SA. A deeper understanding of this network will accelerate the process of the quest for potential RNA markers for SA diagnosis and treatment.