A Novel circUBR4/miR-491-5p/NRP2 ceRNA Network Regulates Oxidized Low-density Lipoprotein-induced Proliferation and Migration in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.

ABSTRACT: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play critical roles in the progression of atherosclerosis. Circular RNA (circRNA) ubiquitin protein ligase E3 component n-recognin 4 (circUBR4) has been shown to regulate VSMC migration and proliferation. In this study, we sought to identify the mechanism in the regulation of circUBR4. CircUBR4, microRNA (miR)-491-5p, and Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) were quantified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blot. Cell proliferation was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 and 5-Ethynyl-2'-Deoxyuridine assays. Cell migration was examined by wound-healing and transwell invasion assays. The direct relationship between miR-491-5p and circUBR4 or NRP2 was validated by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Our data indicated that in VSMCs, ox-LDL induced circUBR4 expression. Silencing endogenous circUBR4 attenuated VSMC proliferation and migration induced by ox-LDL. Mechanistically, circUBR4 targeted miR-491-5p by pairing to miR-491-5p. Moreover, miR-491-5p was identified as a downstream mediator of circUBR4 function in ox-LDL-treated VSMCs. NRP2 was a direct target of miR-491-5p, and circUBR4 acted as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-491-5p to regulate NRP2 expression. In addition, NRP2 was a functionally downstream effector of miR-491-5p in regulating ox-LDL-evoked VSMC proliferation and migration. Our findings identify a new competing endogenous RNA network, the circUBR4/miR-491-5p/NRP2 axis, for the regulation of circUBR4 in VSMC migration and proliferation.

Efficacy and safety of vascular intervention combined with intravenous thrombolysis in treatment of acute intracranial arterial occlusion.

Efficacy and safety of vascular intervention combined with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) was investigated in the treatment of acute intracranial arterial occlusion (AIAO). Ninety-two patients with AIAO treated in People's Hospital of Tongchuan from January 2014 to February 2016 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Forty-two patients were treated with vascular intervention (control group), while another 50 patients were treated with vascular intervention combined with IVT (study group). They were observed in terms of the improvement of clinical efficacy after treatment, the comparison of complications after treatment, the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score after treatment, the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3 months after treatment, and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score at 3 months after treatment. Compared with those in the control group, patients in the study group had statistically significantly higher marked effectiveness and statistically significantly lower ineffectiveness (P=0.018), and a statistically significantly higher overall effective rate (P=0.042). The NIHSS score in the study group was statistically significantly lower than that in the control group after treatment (P=0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in the mRS score at 3 months after treatment (Z=8.764, P>0.05). Compared with those in the control group, patients in the study group had a statistically significantly higher MMSE score after treatment, and a statistically significantly lower total incidence of postoperative complications (P=0.001). Vascular intervention combined with IVT has good efficacy and high safety in the treatment of AIAO, and the combination can statistically significantly improve patients' quality of life, so it has a good clinical application value.