Overexpression of MicroRNA-122 Resists Oxidative Stress-Induced Human Umbilical Vascular Endothelial Cell Injury by Inhibition of p53

Overexpression of MiR-181c-5p Attenuates Human Umbilical Vascular Endothelial Cell Injury in Deep Vein Thrombosis by Targeting FOS

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is the third most common cardiovascular disease. Its clinical therapeutic effect is unsatisfactory due to the high rate of postthrombotic syndrome. Several studies have demonstrated the involvement of miRNAs in DVT. Therefore, we identified differentially expressed miRNAs in patients with DVT and explored their effects and underlying mechanism on endothelial cell (EC) injury.Differentially expressed miRNAs were identified via microRNA sequencing and verified using real-time quantitative PCR. The biological function of miR-181c-5p in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) injury stimulated by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) was investigated. The target gene of miR-181c-5p was analyzed using bioinformatics and verified via dual-luciferase reporter assay.miRNA sequencing showed that miR-181c-5p was downregulated in the peripheral blood of patients with DVT. Furthermore, miR-181c-5p had a high clinical diagnostic value for DVT by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. An in vitro cell model of EC injury, miR-181c-5p, was repressed in ox-LDL-treated HUVECs. Enhancing miR-181c-5p expression could alleviate the inhibition cell viability, cell apoptosis, raising ROS and MDA production, the reducing SOD level, and the elevated levels of thrombosis-related factor, ET-1 and vWF induced by ox-LDL. Further analysis revealed that FBJ osteosarcoma oncogene (FOS) is a target of miR-181c-5p and could antagonize the protective role of miR-181c-5p in ox-LDL-induced HUVEC injury.Our research demonstrated that miR-181c-5p could attenuate ox-LDL-induced EC injury and thrombosis-related factor expression by negatively regulating FOS. These findings suggest that the miR-181c-5p/FOS axis is a promising therapeutic target for DVT.

Pretreatment with Shenmai Injection Protects against Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction

Background

The clinical treatment of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is mainly based on conventional medicine, but the mechanism of the medicine is single and the efficacy is different. Shenmai injection (SMI) has a variety of ingredients, but the effect of SMI on CMD has not been studied. This study investigated the effect of SMI on CMD and its possible mechanism.

Methods

The protective effect of SMI on CMD was evaluated in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vivo, forty-five male SD rats were randomly divided into control group (sham group), CMD group (model group), and SMI group (treatment group). Two weeks after SMI intervention, laurate was injected into the left ventricle of rats to construct a CMD model. Blood samples were collected to detect myocardial enzymes, oxidative stress, and inflammatory factors, and the hearts of rats were extracted for histopathological staining and western blot detection. In vitro, a hydrogen peroxide-induced endothelial injury model was established in HUVECs. After pretreatment with SMI, cell viability, oxidative stress, vasodilative factors, and apoptosis were detected.

Results

In vivo, pretreatment with SMI could effectively reduce the concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), endothelin-1 (ET-1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum of rats. Meanwhile, the expression of bcl-2-associated X (Bax) and caspase-3 protein in the myocardium of rats was decreased in the SMI group. The levels of nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the expression of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) were higher in the SMI group than in the CMD group. Pathological staining results showed that SMI could effectively reduce inflammatory infiltration and the formation of collagen fibers and microthrombus in the rat myocardium. In vitro, intervention with SMI could improve endothelial function in a dose-dependent manner as evidenced by increasing the activity of endothelial cells and the expression of NO, SOD, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and Bcl-2, while decreasing cell apoptosis and the levels of ET-1, MDA, Bax, and caspase-3.

Conclusions

Pretreatment with SMI could improve CMD by alleviating oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and apoptosis and then improving vascular endothelial function and microvascular structure.