LNCRNA OIP5-AS1 regulates oxidative low-density lipoprotein-mediated endothelial cell injury via miR-320a/LOX1 axis

An increasing amount of research showed that endothelial cells (ECs) play crucial role in vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis (AS). LncRNA OIP5-AS1 and microRNA-320a (miR-320a) were reported to exert function in ECs. The purpose of this research was to investigate the functional mechanism of OIP5-AS1 and miR-320a in ox-LDL-treated HUVECs. The RNA levels of OIP5-AS1, miR-320a, and Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 (LOX1) were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The protein levels of LOX1 and cell apoptosis-related genes were determined by Western blot assay. In addition, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry analysis were used to assess cell viability and apoptosis, respectively. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was measured using LDH release assay. Besides, the interaction between miR-320a and OIP5-AS1 or LOX1 was predicted by starbase and verified by the dual-luciferase reporter assay. OIP5-AS1 expression was increased and miR-320a expression was decreased in oxidative low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-treated HUVECs. OIP5-AS1 knockdown upregulated ox-LDL-treated HUVECs viability and suppressed apoptosis as well as LDH release. Interestingly, OIP5-AS1 elevated LOX1 level through downregulating miR-320a expression. As expected, miR-320a modulated LOX1 expression to mediate ox-LDL-treated HUVECs progression. Furthermore, OIP5-AS1 knockdown modulated cell progression via regulating miR-320a/LOX1 axis in ox-LDL-treated HUVECs. Our results demonstrated that the depletion of OIP5-AS1 enhanced cell viability and repressed apoptosis as well as LDH release in ox-LDL-treated HUVECs, providing potential target for the treatment of AS.