Elevated miR-195-5p expression in deep vein thrombosis and mechanism of action in the regulation of vascular endothelial cell physiology

Peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor γ alleviates human umbilical vein endothelial cell injury in deep vein thrombosis by blocking endoplasmic reticulum stress

The present study aimed to explore the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), as well as to discover the potential regulatory mechanism of PPARγ. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with modified glycated human serum albumin (M-HSA) to mimic DVT. PPARγ expression and activity were detected using western blot analysis and the corresponding activity detection kit, respectively. Cell Counting Kit-8 and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assays were employed to detect cell viability and apoptosis, respectively. The levels of thrombosis-related factors and inflammatory cytokines were detected by ELISA. The levels of oxidative stress-related factors were determined by the corresponding commercial kits. In addition, tunicamycin (TM), the agonist of endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), was applied to investigate the potential mechanism. The results indicated that M-HSA caused reduced expression and activity of PPARγ in HUVECs; these effects were reversed by PPARγ overexpression, which significantly inhibited M-HSA-induced cell viability loss, cell apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in HUVECs. In addition, ERS was activated following M-HSA stimulation in HUVECs, but was suppressed by PPARγ overexpression. Furthermore, TM partly abolished the protective role of PPARγ overexpression against cell viability loss, cell apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress in M-HSA-induced HUVECs. In summary, PPARγ antagonized M-HSA-induced HUVEC injury by suppressing the activation of ERS, which provides a novel strategy for the treatment of DVT.

Non-coding RNAs regulating endothelial progenitor cells for venous thrombosis: promising therapy and innovation

Venous thromboembolism, which includes deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism, is the third most common vascular disease in the world and seriously threatens the lives of patients. Currently, the effect of conventional treatments on DVT is limited. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important role in the resolution and recanalization of DVT, but an unfavorable microenvironment reduces EPC function. Non-coding RNAs, especially long non-coding RNAs and microRNAs, play a crucial role in improving the biological function of EPCs. Non-coding RNAs have become clinical biomarkers of diseases and are expected to serve as new targets for disease intervention. A theoretical and experimental basis for the development of new methods for preventing and treating DVT in the clinic will be provided by studies on the role and molecular mechanism of non-coding RNAs regulating EPC function in the occurrence and development of DVT. To summarize, the characteristics of venous thrombosis, the regulatory role of EPCs in venous thrombosis, and the effect of non-coding RNAs regulating EPCs on venous thrombosis are reviewed. This summary serves as a useful reference and theoretical basis for research into the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and prognosis of venous thrombosis.

Diagnostic and prognostic potential of long non-coding RNA NORAD in patients with acute deep vein thrombosis and its role in endothelial cell function

BACKGROUND

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is the common clinical cardiovascular disease, and easily develops into post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS). The study aimed to examine the clinical value of long non-coding RNA NORAD gene in the development of DVT and PTS. In vitro, the underlying mechanism was explored.

METHODS

Serum levels of lncRNA NORAD gene in 85 DVT cases and 85 healthy individuals were tested. The role of lncRNA NORAD gene in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) proliferation, migration and inflammation was examined. The candidate downstream target gene was predicted via bioinformatic analysis. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were done for the function annotation and pathway enrichment.

RESULTS

LncRNA NORAD gene was at high expression in the serum of DVT patients, it can distinguish DVT patients from healthy controls with the area under the curve of 0.919. Elevated expression of lncRNA NORAD gene in PTS patients was detected, DVT cases with high expression of lncRNA NORAD gene were more susceptible to PTS. LncRNA NORAD gene knockdown promoted HUVECs' proliferation, migration while suppressing cell apoptosis and inflammation. MiR-93-5p served as a target of lncRNA NORAD gene, and its overexpression reversed the role of lncRNA NORAD gene in the biological function of HUVECs. The target genes of miR-93-5p were enriched in HIF-1 signaling, TGF-beta signaling and PI3K-Akt signaling, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network indicated STAT3, MAPK1 to be the key targets.

CONCLUSIONS

Upregulation of expression of lncRNA NORAD gene was a potential diagnostic biomarker for DVT and related to the development of PTS. LncRNA NORAD/miR-93-5p axis was involved in the progress of DVT through regulating endothelial cell function.

Long non‑coding RNA PEG13 regulates endothelial cell senescence through the microRNA‑195/IRS1 axis

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by endothelial dysfunction and plaque formation. The present study aimed to elucidate the pathological role of the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) paternally expressed 13 (PEG13) in the onset and progression of atherosclerosis. Specifically, its effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation, angiogenesis, senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP)-related factors were investigated using cell proliferation, cellular angiogenesis, β-galactosidase staining, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The results showed that oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) inhibited lncRNA PEG13 expression and HUVEC viability in a dose-dependent manner and PEG13 overexpression partially reversed these effects. Additionally, PEG13 overexpression ameliorated the ox-LDL-induced impairment of angiogenesis, cellular senescence and SASP. Furthermore, lncRNA PEG13 directly targeted microRNA (miR/miRNA)-195-5p, suppressing the ox-LDL-induced upregulation of the miRNA. The gene coding for insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), an activator of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway, was confirmed as a direct target of miR-195. PEG13 overexpression attenuated the ox-LDL-induced inhibition of IRS1 expression and PI3K/AKT signaling and its protective effects on HUVEC viability, angiogenesis and senescence were partially reversed by small interfering RNAs targeting IRS1. The present study demonstrated that lncRNA PEG13 attenuates ox-LDL-induced senescence in HUVECs by modulating the miR-195/IRS1/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

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.

Long noncoding RNA TUG1 induces angiogenesis of endothelial progenitor cells and dissolution of deep vein thrombosis

Objective

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) essentially controls many physiological and pathological processes of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Based on that, lncRNA taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1)-involved angiogenesis of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and dissolution of DVT was explored.

Methods

In the in-vitro experiments, EPCs were engineered with mimic, inhibitor, siRNA, and plasmid, after which tube formation, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis were checked. In the in-vivo experiments, a DVT mouse model was established. Before the DVT operation, the mice were injected with agomir, antagomir, siRNA, and plasmid. Subsequently, thrombosis and damage to the femoral vein were pathologically evaluated. TUG1, miR-92a-3p, and 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (Hmgcr) expression in the femoral vein was tested. The relationship between TUG1, miR-92a-3p, and Hmgcr was validated.

Results

DVT mice showed suppressed TUG1 and Hmgcr expression, and elevated miR-92a-3p expression. In EPCs, TUG1 overexpression or miR-92a-3p inhibition promoted cellular angiogenesis, whereas Hmgcr silencing blocked cellular angiogenesis. In DVT mice, elevated TUG1 or inhibited miR-92a-3p suppressed thrombosis and damage to the femoral vein whilst Hmgcr knockdown acted oppositely. In both cellular and animal models, TUG1 overexpression-induced effects could be mitigated by miR-92a-3p up-regulation. Mechanically, TUG1 interacted with miR-92a-3p to regulate Hmgcr expression.

Conclusion

Evidently, TUG1 promotes the angiogenesis of EPCs and dissolution of DVT via the interplay with miR-92a-3p and Hmgcr.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12959-022-00413-y.

Significant role of long non-coding RNA MALAT1 in deep vein thrombosis via the regulation of vascular endothelial cell physiology through the microRNA-383-5p/BCL2L11 axis

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a vascular disease. The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), is positively expressed in DVT tissues, and regulates the biological behavior of endothelial progenitor cells. Here, we explored whether MALAT1 affected the physiology of human vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) and analyzed its underlying mechanism. To overexpress/silence the expression of MALAT1 in HUVECs, MALAT1-plasmid/MALAT1-small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and flow cytometry analyses were performed to observe the cell viability and apoptosis. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to determine the apoptosis-related protein and gene expression levels. We used Starbase software to predict the associations among MALAT1, microRNA (miR)-383-5p, and BCL2-like 11 (BCL2L11). Luciferase reporter assay was used to validate their relationship. Compared to the control vector group, MALAT1-plasmid suppressed the viability and induced apoptosis of HUVECs, while improving Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) expression and decreasing Bcl-2 expression. There was an interaction between MALAT1 and miR-383-5p. Compared to the control siRNA group, MALAT1-siRNA increased the cell viability, reduced cell apoptosis, upregulated Bcl-2 expression, and suppressed Bax expression. These changes were reversed by the miR-383-5p inhibitor. Additionally, we verified that BCL2L11 is a target of miR-383-5p. miR-383-5p improved the cell proliferation, while decreasing cell apoptosis in HUVECs by targeting BCL2L11. Therefore, the lncRNA-MALAT1/miR-383-5p/BCL2L11 axis may be effective for DVT treatment.

Pathophysiology of deep vein thrombosis

Deep venous thrombosis is a frequent, multifactorial disease and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Most of the time deep venous thrombosis is triggered by the interaction between acquired risk factors, such as hip fracture, pregnancy, and immobility, and hereditary risk factors such as thrombophilias. The mechanisms underlying deep venous thrombosis are not fully elucidated; however, in recent years, important advances have shed light on the role of venous flow, endothelium, platelets, leukocytes, and the interaction between inflammation and hemostasis. It has been described that the alteration of venous blood flow produces endothelial activation, favoring the adhesion of platelets and leukocytes, which, through tissue factor expression and neutrophil extracellular traps formation, contribute to the activation of coagulation, trapping more cells, such as red blood cells. Thus, the concerted interaction of these phenomena allows the formation and growth of the thrombus. In this work, the main mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of deep vein thrombosis will be described.

miR-513c-5p Suppression Aggravates Pyroptosis of Endothelial Cell in Deep Venous Thrombosis by Promoting Caspase-1

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common peripheral vascular disease. Secondary pulmonary embolism (PE) caused by DVT leads to substantial patient death. Inflammation has been suggested as a key factor in the pathophysiology of DVT, however, involvement of pyroptosis-related inflammatory factors in DVT formation remains unclear. Here, we proposed that post-transcriptional modification of caspase-1 might be a crucial trigger for enhanced pyroptosis in vascular endothelial cells (VECs), and consequently contributed to severer symptoms in DVT patients. In order to explore the involvement of pyroptosis in DVT, peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from 30 DVT patients, and compared with the healthy controls, we found caspase-1 was increased both in mRNA and protein levels. miRNA microarray analysis demonstrated that down-regulated miR-513c-5p was significantly negatively correlated with the expression of caspase-1. In vitro assays suggested that miR-513c-5p overexpression could ameliorate the expression of caspase-1, and thus decreased the production of cleaved gasdermin D (GSDMD) and interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 in VECs. The dual-luciferase reporter assay identified direct binding between miR-513c-5p and the 3′ untranslated region of caspase-1 encoding gene. The administration of miR-513c-5p mimics through tail vein injection or caspase-1 inhibitor (vx-765) by intraperitoneal injection remarkably decreased the volume of blood clots in vivo, whereas miR-513c-5p inhibitor aggravated thrombosis formation and this effect was dramatically weakened when treated in combination with vx-765. Collectively, these results revealed that the pyroptosis of VECs induced by decreased miR-513c-5p was involved in DVT progression and indicated a potential therapeutic strategy of targeting the miR-513c-5p/caspase-1/GSDMD signal axis for DVT management.

Predictive value of miR-374a-5p of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in deep venous thrombosis for elderly patients after total hip arthroplasty

OBJECTIVE

This study analyzed the predictive value of peripheral blood mononuclear cells' (PBMCs) miR-374a-5p in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after total hip arthroplasty in the elderly.

METHODS

There was a total of 112 elderly patients that underwent elective total hip arthroplasty in our hospital and were enrolled as the research subjects. According to the color Doppler ultrasound of lower limbs 5 d postoperatively, subjectswere classified into thrombosis group (n=31) and non-thrombosis group (n=81). We detected the expression levels of miR-374a-5p in PBMCs and plasma D-dimer of the two groups of patients 1 d before surgery, and 1 d, 3 d, and 5 d after surgery, and analyzed the predictive value, and the correlation between miR-374a-5p and plasma D-dimer for DVT by ROC curve.

RESULTS

The relative expression of miR-374a-5p in PBMCs and plasma D-dimer of the two groups 1 d, 3 d, and 5 d after surgery were higher than those on the 1 d before surgery (P<0.05), and the indexes of thrombus-group-patients were higher than those in the non-thrombosis group at various time points after surgery (P<0.05). We analyzed the predictive value of miR-374a-5p for DVT by ROC curve, and the areas under the predictive curve of miR-374a-5p on 1 d pre-surgery, and 1 d, 3 d and 5 d post-surgery for DVT were 0.435, 0.820, 0.974 and 0.782 respectively. The areas under the predictive curve of D-dimer for DVT was 0.470, 0.834, 0.863 and 0.790 respectively on 1 d pre-surgery, and 1 d, 3 d and 5 d post-surgery. The correlation analysis indicated that miR-374a-5p was extremely positively correlated with D-dimer (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

miR-374a-5p is of important value in the prediction of DVT in elderly patients with total hip arthroplasty. Its expression level has a critically positive correlation with D-dimer degree, which is likely to be abiologic indicator for the early diagnosis and treatment of DVT.

Therapeutic effect of and mechanisms underlying the effect of miR-195-5p on subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced vasospasm and brain injury in rats

Objectives

There is much evidence suggesting that inflammation contributes majorly to subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)-induced cerebral vasospasm and brain injury. miRNAs have been found to modulate inflammation in several neurological disorders. This study investigated the effect of miR-195-5p on SAH-induced vasospasm and early brain injury in experimental rats.

Methods

Ninety-six Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly and evenly divided into a control group (no SAH, sham surgery), a SAH only group, a SAH + NC-mimic group, and a SAH + miR-195-5p group. SAH was induced using a single injection of blood into the cisterna magna. Suspensions containing NC-mimic and miR-195-5p were intravenously injected into rat tail 30 mins after SAH was induced. We determined degree of vasospasm by averaging areas of cross-sections the basilar artery 24h after SAH. We measured basilar artery endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κ B), phosphorylated NF-κ B (p-NF-κ B), inhibitor of NF-κ B (Iκ Bα) and phosphorylated-Iκ Bα (p-Iκ Bα). Cell death assay was used to quantify the DNA fragmentation, an indicator of apoptotic cell death, in the cortex, hippocampus, and dentate gyrus. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured using sample protein obtained from the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and dentate gyrus.

Results

Prior to fixation by perfusion, there were no significant physiological differences among the control and treatment groups. SAH successfully induced vasospasm and early brain injury. MiR-195-5p attenuated vasospasam-induced changes in morphology, reversed SAH-induced elevation of iNOS, p-NF-κ B, NF-κ B, and p-Iκ Bα and reversed SAH-induced suppression of eNOS in the basilar artery. Cell death assay revealed that MiR-195-5p significantly decreased SAH-induced DNA fragmentation (apoptosis) and restored TNF-α level in the dentate gyrus.

Conclusion

In conclusion, MiRNA-195-5p attenuated SAH-induced vasospasm by up-regulating eNOS, down-regulating iNOS and inhibiting the NF-κ B signaling pathway. It also protected neurons by decreasing SAH-induced apoptosis-related cytokine TNF-α expression in the dentate gyrus. Further study is needed to elucidate the detail mechanism underlying miR-195-5p effect on SAH-induced vasospasm and cerebral injury. We believe that MiR-195-5p can potentially be used to manage SAH-induced cerebral vasospasm and brain injury.

hsa-miR-195-5p inhibits cell proliferation of human thyroid carcinoma cells via modulation of p21/cyclin D1 axis

Background

Based on existing evidence, microRNAs (miRs) are gene regulators that undertake key functions in the oncogenesis and tumor progression of every single human malignant disease, such as thyroid carcinoma (TC). Previous clinical findings showed that expression of miR-195 is down-regulated in TC, which implies that miR-195 may be practically involved in TC pathogenesis. Nevertheless, the function of hsa-miR-195-5p in TC is still largely unclear. Herein, we detected the conceivable involvement of hsa-miR-195-5p in TC cell proliferation.

Methods

Real time PCR examination was performed to assess the expression level of hsa-miR-195-5p in TC cell lines TPC-1 and B-CPAP. TPC-1 cells were transfected with either hsa-miR-195-5p mimics or hsa-miR-195-5p inhibitor. After confirmation of transfection efficiency, the effect of hsa-miR-195-5p on proliferation and cell cycle of TPC-1 cells was assessed. The expression of cyclin D1 and p21 was simultaneously detected by western blotting. Moreover, targetScan 6.2 was used to predict hsa-miR-195-5p target genes. Subsequently, luciferase reporter was performed to examine whether there is a possible binding of hsa-miR-195-5p to 3’-UTR of cyclin D1 mRNA. Furthermore, cyclin D1 mRNA and protein levels were measured to check whether hsa-miR-195-5p exerts its function at the post-transcriptional level. In addition, to explore the function of cyclin D1 in TPC-1 cells overexpressing hsa-miR-195-5p, cyclin D1 siRNA was used to silence the expression of cyclin D1 in TPC-1 cells overexpressing hsa-miR-195-5p.

Results

We quantified the expression of hsa-miR-195-5p in TC cells and normal thyroid cells and found a remarkable decrease in hsa-miR-195-5p expression in TC cells. Over-expression of hsa-miR-195-5p obviously resulted in downgraded proliferation of TC cells. Moreover, hsa-miR-195-5p caused cell arrest at the GO/G1 phase. Further in silico analyses and the dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that 3’-UTR of cyclin D1 is a direct target of hsa-miR-195-5p. Western blot analysis uncovered that hsa-miR-195-5p over-expression led to decreased levels of cyclin D1 and p21. In mechanistic analyses, we found that silencing of cyclin D1 reversed the inhibitory effect of hsa-miR-195-5p on the proliferation of TC cells, which indicates that hsa-miR-195-5p suppresses TC cell proliferation by adversely regulating cyclin D1.

Conclusions

We concluded that hsa-miR-195-5p is a candidate tumor-suppressor miRNA in TC and that the hsa-miR-195-5p/p21/cyclin D1 pathway could be a potential therapeutic target for TC.

Silencing of Long Non-coding RNA NEAT1 Upregulates miR-195a to Attenuate Intervertebral Disk Degeneration via the BAX/BAK Pathway

Background/Aims

An increasing body of evidence has demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a vital regulatory role in intervertebral disk degeneration (IVDD). Nucleus enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1), a novel cancer-related lncRNA, is associated with many malignancies, including ovarian cancer, and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Nevertheless, the role of NEAT1 in the progression of IVDD remains to be studied. Here, we explored the effect of NEAT1 on the progression of IVDD and the mechanisms involved.

Methods

An IVDD model was constructed in SD rats in vivo, and degeneration was induced by advanced glycation end product (AGE) in human nucleus pulposus cells (HNPC) in vitro. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to detect the relative NEAT1 and miR-195a expressions and further confirmed the relationship between NEAT1 and miR-195a. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by TUNEL assay. The related mechanisms were explored by Western blot assay.

Results

The relative NEAT1 expression was significantly upregulated in the IVDD rat model and the denatured HNPC. Silencing of NEAT1 expression in HNPC significantly promoted the Collagen II and TIMP-1 expression induced by AGE while greatly suppressing the expressions of MMP-3 and cleaved caspase-3. Besides, downregulation of NEAT1 obviously reversed the AGE-induced apoptosis in HNPC. More interestingly, these effects of NEAT1 knockout on HNPC were largely reversed by silencing of miR-195a or overexpression of BAX under the AGE treatment. Mechanically, the direct combination of NEAT1 with miR-195a resulted in upregulation of MMP-3, cleaved caspase-3, BAX, and BAK, as well as downregulation of Collagen II and TIMP-1, which are associated with EMT and apoptosis. We also demonstrated similar results in the in vivo experiments.

Conclusion

NEAT1 played its role in IVDD progression via partly by mediating the miR-195 expression and might be used as a potential target for IVDD therapy.

Effects of miR‑195‑5p on cell proliferation and apoptosis in gestational diabetes mellitus via targeting EZH2

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a type of diabetes mellitus (DM) that occurs during pregnancy. The present study aimed to investigate the roles of microRNA (miR)‑195‑5p and enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) in GDM, and their potential association. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were collected from healthy and GDM umbilical cords, and the endothelial properties were detected by flow cytometry. mRNA expression levels of miR‑195‑5p and EZH2, and EZH2 protein expression levels were detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR (RT‑qPCR) and western blot analysis, respectively. Cell colony formation and flow cytometry were performed to determine cell proliferation and apoptosis. Furthermore, the target gene of miR‑195‑5p was predicted and assessed using a dual‑luciferase reporter assay. The levels of cell viability, proliferation and apoptosis following the overexpression of miR‑195‑5p, EZH2 or miR‑195‑5p + EZH2, were detected using Cell Counting Kit‑8, colony formation and flow cytometry assays, respectively. In addition, the mRNA expression levels of miR‑195‑59 and EZH2, and EZH2 protein expression levels following transfection with overexpression plasmids were detected using RT‑qPCR and western blot analysis, respectively. It was identified that high mRNA expression of miR‑195‑5p, and low EZH2 mRNA and protein expression levels decreased the level of cell proliferation and the high apoptotic rate of GDM‑HUVECs. In addition, miR‑195‑5p was predicted and identified to target EZH2, and miR‑195‑5p overexpression was identified to inhibit cell proliferation and promote apoptosis. However, it was demonstrated that upregulation of EZH2 could alleviate the inhibition of cell proliferation and the increased apoptotic rate induced by miR‑195‑5p overexpression. Therefore, the present results suggested that miR‑195‑5p may inhibit cell viability, proliferation and promote apoptosis by targeting EZH2 in GDM‑induced HUVECs.