MiR-214-3p, a novel possible therapeutic target for the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis

NF-κB in biology and targeted therapy: new insights and translational implications

NF-κB signaling has been discovered for nearly 40 years. Initially, NF-κB signaling was identified as a pivotal pathway in mediating inflammatory responses. However, with extensive and in-depth investigations, researchers have discovered that its role can be expanded to a variety of signaling mechanisms, biological processes, human diseases, and treatment options. In this review, we first scrutinize the research process of NF-κB signaling, and summarize the composition, activation, and regulatory mechanism of NF-κB signaling. We investigate the interaction of NF-κB signaling with other important pathways, including PI3K/AKT, MAPK, JAK-STAT, TGF-β, Wnt, Notch, Hedgehog, and TLR signaling. The physiological and pathological states of NF-κB signaling, as well as its intricate involvement in inflammation, immune regulation, and tumor microenvironment, are also explicated. Additionally, we illustrate how NF-κB signaling is involved in a variety of human diseases, including cancers, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and COVID-19. Further, we discuss the therapeutic approaches targeting NF-κB signaling, including IKK inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, proteasome inhibitors, nuclear translocation inhibitors, DNA binding inhibitors, TKIs, non-coding RNAs, immunotherapy, and CAR-T. Finally, we provide an outlook for research in the field of NF-κB signaling. We hope to present a stereoscopic, comprehensive NF-κB signaling that will inform future research and clinical practice.

Inhibition of LINC00958 hinders the progression of osteoarthritis through regulation of the miR-214-3p/FOXM1 axis

OBJECTIVE

We investigated the impact of the long noncoding RNA LINC00958 on cellular activity and oxidative stress in osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODS

We performed bioinformatics analysis via StarBase and luciferase reporter assays to predict and validate the interactions between LINC00958 and miR-214-3p and between miR-214-3p and FOXM1. The expression levels of LINC00958, miR-214-3p, and FOXM1 were measured by qRT-PCR and western blotting. To assess effects on CHON-001 cells, we performed MTT proliferation assays, evaluated cytotoxicity with a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay, and examined apoptosis through flow cytometry. Additionally, we measured the levels of apoptosis-related proteins, including BAX and BCL2, using western blotting. The secretion of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α) was measured using ELISA.

RESULTS

Our findings confirmed that LINC00958 is a direct target of miR-214-3p. LINC00958 expression was upregulated but miR-214-3p expression was downregulated in both OA cells and IL-1β-stimulated CHON-001 cells compared to the corresponding control cells. Remarkably, miR-214-3p expression was further reduced after miR-214-3p inhibitor treatment but increased following LINC00958-siRNA stimulation. Silencing LINC00958 significantly decreased its expression, and this effect was reversed by miR-214-3p inhibitor treatment. Notably, LINC00958-siRNA transfection alleviated the IL-1β-induced inflammatory response, as evidenced by the increased cell viability, reduced LDH release, suppression of apoptosis, downregulated BAX expression, and elevated BCL2 levels. Moreover, LINC00958 silencing led to reduced secretion of inflammatory factors from IL-1β-stimulated CHON-001 cells. The opposite results were observed in the miR-214-3p inhibitor-transfected groups. Furthermore, in CHON-001 cells, miR-214-3p directly targeted FOXM1 and negatively regulated its expression.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that downregulating LINC00958 mitigates IL-1β-induced injury in CHON-001 cells through the miR-214-3p/FOXM1 axis. These results imply that LINC00958 plays a role in OA development and may be a valuable therapeutic target for OA.

Overexpression of lncRNA LINC00665 inhibits the proliferation and chondroblast differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by targeting miR-214-3p

BACKGROUND

Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease mainly involving the damage of articular cartilage and the whole articular tissue, which is the main cause of disability in the elderly. To explore more effective treatment measures, this study analyzed the regulatory role and molecular mechanism of lncRNA LINC00665 (LINC00665) in the chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), providing a valuable theoretical basis for the pathogenesis and patient treatment of osteoarthritis.

METHODS

Osteoarthritis tissues and healthy tissues were obtained from 52 patients with osteoarthritis and 34 amputated patients without osteoarthritis, and the levels of LINC00665 and miR-214-3p were assessed by RT-qPCR. BMSCs were cultured and induced chondrogenic differentiation. The proliferation ability of BMSCs was detected by CCK-8 method, and the apoptosis level of BMSCs was evaluated by flow cytometry. The content of proteoglycan-glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in cartilage matrix was determined by Alcian blue staining. In addition, the binding relationship between LINC00665 and miR-214-3p was verified by luciferase reporter assay, and the molecular mechanism was further analyzed.

RESULTS

In osteoarthritis tissues, LINC00665 was elevated and miR-214-3p was down-regulated. With the chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs, the level of GAG increased, and LINC00665 expression gradually decreased, while miR-214-3p level was on the contrary. After transfection of pcDNA3.1-LINC00665 in BMSCs, cell proliferation capacity was decreased, apoptosis rate was increased, and GAG content was reduced. Moreover, LINC00665 sponged miR-214-3p and negatively regulate its expression. Transfection of pcDNA3.1-LINC00665-miR-214-3p mimic changed the regulation of pcDNA3.1-LINC00665 on the viability and chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

CONCLUSIONS

Overexpression of lncRNA LINC00665 inhibited the proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of BMSCs by targeting miR-214-3p. The LINC00665/miR-214-3p axis may improve joint damage and alleviate the progression of osteoarthritis.

Inhibition of miR-214-3p attenuates ferroptosis in myocardial infarction via regulating ME2

Myocardial infarction (MI) contributes to an increased risk of incident heart failure and sudden death, but there is still a lack of effective treatment in clinic. Recently, growing evidence has indicated that abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) plays a crucial role in cardiovascular diseases. In this research, the involvement of miRNA-214-3p in MI was explored. A mouse model of MI was established by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and primary cultures of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) were submitted to hypoxic treatment to stimulate cellular injury in vitro. Our results showed that miR-214-3p level was significantly upregulated in the infarcted region of mouse hearts and in NRCMs exposed to hypoxia, accompanying with an obvious elevation of ferroptosis. Inhibition of miR-214-3p by antagomir injection improved cardiac function, decreased infarct size, and attenuated iron accumulation and oxidant stress in myocardial tissues. MiR-214-3p could also promote ferroptosis and cellular impairments in NRCMs, while miR-214-3p inhibitor effectively protected cells from hypoxia. Furthermore, dual luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that malic enzyme 2 (ME2) is a direct target of miR-214-3p. In cardiomyocytes, overexpression of ME2 ameliorated the detrimental effects and excessive ferroptosis induced by miR-214-3p mimic, whereas ME2 depletion compromised the protective role of miR-214-3p inhibitor against hypoxic injury and ferroptosis. These findings suggest that miR-214-3p contributes to enhanced ferroptosis during MI at least partially via suppressing ME2. Inhibition of miR-214-3p may be a new approach for tackling MI.

MiR-214-3p may alleviate T-2 toxin-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and matrix degradation by regulating NF-κB signaling pathway in vitro

T-2 toxin is part of the most toxic fungal secondary metabolites contaminating different kinds of grains. Previous studies have demonstrated that T-2 toxin can influence the survival of chondrocytes and extracellular matrix (ECM) composition. MiR-214-3p is essential for the homeostasis of chondrocytes and ECM. However, the molecular machinery underlying T-2 toxin-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and ECM degradation remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism of miR-214-3p's involvement in T-2 toxin-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and ECM degradation. Meanwhile, the role of the NF-κB signaling pathway was scrutinized. C28/I2 chondrocytes were treated with 8 ng/ml of T-2 toxin for 24 h, after the pretreatment of miR-214-3p interfering RNAs for 6 h. Gene and protein levels involved in chondrocyte apoptosis and ECM degradation were assessed through RT-PCR and Western blotting. The apoptosis rate of chondrocyte was measured by flow cytometry. Results and data indicated that miR-214-3p was decreased in a dose-dependent manner at different concentrations of T-2 toxin. The enhancement of miR-214-3p could alleviate chondrocyte apoptosis and ECM degradation due to T-2 toxin exposure. The upregulation of miR-214-3p was associated with the decreased expression of apoptosis-promoting genes such as Bax and Cleaved-caspase3/caspase3 as well as the increased expression of anti-apoptotic genes such as Bcl2 and Survivin. Furthermore, miR-214-3p stimulated the relative protein expression of collagen Ⅱ but inhibited the expression of MMP13. Overexpressing miR-214-3p could suppress the relative protein expression of IKKβ and phospho-p65/p65, thus blocking the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. The study suggested that the miR-214-3p attenuates T-2 toxin-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and ECM degradation through a potential NF-κB signaling pathway.