Anti-Inflammatory Effect of miR-17-3P VIA NF-κB Pathway in Human Endothelial Cells

Abstract

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, noncoding RNAs of ≈22 nucleotides that negatively regulate gene expression. They appear to play a role in the development/progression of many disorders, including inflammation, cardiovascular diseases and endothelial dysfunction. This study examines the role of miR-17-3p in vascular inflammation. Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were transfected with miR-17-3p agomir (miR-17-3p mimic) or its negative control using lipofectamine 2000. They were incubated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 ng/ml) for 16 hours to induce inflammatory reactions. The level of miR- 17-3p and the expressions of IκBα, p65 and phosphorylated p65 (p-p65) were measured by qPCR and Western blotting. The amount of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α released in the culture medium was detected with ELISA kit. Results: The levels of miR-17-3p, IL-8, TNF-α and p-p65 were increased following LPS stimulation. While the expression of p65 was not changed, the expression of IκBα was reduced. LPS-induced increase in IL-8 level and decrease in IκBα expression were smaller in HUVECs transfected with miR- 17-3p agomir than in those transfected with the negative control.