Inhibition of miR‑27a suppresses the inflammatory response via the p38/MAPK pathway in intervertebral disc cells

Cao,Zhenguo; Chen,Liang

doi:10.3892/etm.2017.5053

Inhibition of miR‑27a suppresses the inflammatory response via the p38/MAPK pathway in intervertebral disc cells

Authors:
- Zhenguo Cao
- Liang Chen
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Affiliations: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China
Published online on: August 28, 2017 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2017.5053
Pages: 4572-4578

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Abstract

The current study aimed to investigate the role of miR‑27a in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) and to examine the underlying mechanisms. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to detect the expression level of miR‑27a in the nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues of patients with IDD, and the results revealed an increasing expression of miR‑27a in IDD compared with the control. To further investigate the role of miR‑27a in IDD, a stable human NP cell line with low miR‑27a expression was generated by transfecting cells with a lentiviral antigomiR‑27a inhibitor. In addition, a human NP cell inflammation model was established by lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 µM) stimulation. The miR‑27a expression in NP cells was determined by qPCR, while the expression of its target proteins; p‑p38 and nuclear factor (NF‑κB) was measured by western blot analysis. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expression levels of proinflammatory factors, including interleukin (IL)‑1β, IL‑6 and tumor necrosis factor‑α (TNF‑α), were also evaluated by qPCR and ELISA, respectively. The current results confirmed that miR‑27a was significantly upregulated in IDD. In vitro, downregulation of miR‑27a in LPS‑stimulated NP cells by transfection with the miR‑27a inhibitor resulted in suppression of p‑p38 and NF‑κB expression levels. Furthermore, the production of the proinflammatory factors IL‑1β, IL‑6 and TNF‑α was significantly reduced in LPS‑stimulated NP cells with downregulated miR‑27a. In conclusion, miR‑27a may function as a promoter in IDD development, while inhibition of miR‑27a may suppress proinflammatory factors released by intervertebral disc cells by regulating the p38/mitogen‑activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway.

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