Suppression of proatherogenic leukocyte interactions by MCS-18 – Impact on advanced atherosclerosis in ApoE-deficient mice

Scavenger receptor-targeted plaque delivery of microRNA-coated nanoparticles for alleviating atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis treatments by gene regulation are garnering attention, yet delivery of gene cargoes to atherosclerotic plaques remains inefficient. Here, we demonstrate that assembly of therapeutic oligonucleotides into a three-dimensional spherical nucleic acid nanostructure improves their systemic delivery to the plaque and the treatment of atherosclerosis. This noncationic nanoparticle contains a shell of microRNA-146a oligonucleotides, which regulate the NF-κB pathway, for achieving transfection-free cellular entry. Upon an intravenous injection into apolipoprotein E knockout mice fed with a high-cholesterol diet, this nanoparticle naturally targets class A scavenger receptor on plaque macrophages and endothelial cells, contributing to elevated delivery to the plaques (∼1.2% of the injected dose). Repeated injections of the nanoparticle modulate genes related to immune response and vascular inflammation, leading to reduced and stabilized plaques but without inducing severe toxicity. Our nanoparticle offers a safe and effective treatment of atherosclerosis and reveals the promise of nucleic acid nanotechnology for cardiovascular disease.

MicroRNA-148a-3p promotes survival and migration of endothelial cells isolated from Apoe deficient mice through restricting circular RNA 0003575

The incidence of atherosclerosis is greatly increased, which becomes the leading cause for the death and disability worldwide. Endothelial cells dysfunction plays a substantial role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. MicroRNA-148a-3p (miR-148a-3p) and circular RNA 0003575 (circ_0003575) modulated lipid metabolism and proliferative function of endothelial cells, respectively. However, the role of them in modulation of endothelial cell function and progression of atherosclerosis remains unknown. Endothelial cells were isolated from the aorta of Apoe^-/- mice. miR-148a-3p in atherosclerosis patients and healthy controls were measured by qRT-PCR. Overexpression and knockdown of miR-148a-3p in endothelial cells were established. The proliferation, migration and apoptosis of endothelial cells were measured by MTT, Transwell, and fluorescence microscope, respectively. Online software (miRWalk 2.0 and RegRNA2.0) and databases (miRWalk, miRanda, RNA22, and Targetscan) were used to predict potential target genes of miR-148a-3p and circ_0003575. The expression of target genes was detected through western blotting. The expression of miR-148a-3p was significantly upregulated in patients with atherosclerosis as relative to healthy people. Overexpression of miR-148a-3p exhibited stimulatory effects on endothelial cell proliferation and migration and inhibited programmed cell death. Six intersection target genes, c-MAF, FOXO4, FOXO3, MITF, ETV7, and CRX, were predicted between miR-148a-3p and circ_0003575. The opposite effects of circ_0003575 and miR-148a-3p on the expression of FOXO4 and FOXO3, which are essential for lipid metabolism. We demonstrate that miR-148a-3p suppresses FOXO4 and FOXO3 expression via interruption of circ_0003575 function, which in turn impairs the proliferative and migratory function of endothelial cells, eventually exacerbating the atherosclerosis.