The Effect of miR-124-3p on Apoptosis of Cardiomyocytes in Acute Myocardial Infarction Rats by Targeting Epithelial Membrane Protein 1
DUAN Ping
ZHANG Xuan
Abstract：Objective:To explore the effect of miR-124-3p on the apoptosis of myocardial cells in rats with acute myocardial infarction(AMI)and the targeting regulatory mechanism with epithelial membrane protein 1(EMP1).Methods:The AMI rat model was established by performing coronary artery ligation on the left anterior descending artery(LAD).The rats were randomly divided into the sham surgery group,model group,miR-NC group,miR-124-3p inhibitor group,miR-124-3p inhibitor+si-NC group,and miR-124-3p inhibitor+si-EMP1 group,with 20 rats in each group.The cardiac function indicators of the rats in each group were detected using echocardiography.The red tetrazolium(TTC)staining was used to detect the myocardial infarction area of rats in each group.The hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining was employed to examine the pathological changes of myocardial tissues in each group of rats.The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling(TUNEL)staining was utilized to detect the apoptosis level of myocardial cells in each group of rats.The Western Blot method was used to detect the expressions of B-cell lymphoma 2(Bcl-2),B-cell lymphoma-2 associated protein(Bax),cleaved cysteine aspartic acid proteinase-3(Cleaved Caspase-3),and EMP1 protein in the myocardial tissues of rats in each group.Real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to detect the expression levels of miR-124-3p and EMP1 mRNA in rat myocardial tissues.The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was used to detect the targeting relationship between miR-124-3p and EMP1.Results:Compared with the sham surgery group,the left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),myocardial infarction area,apoptosis rate,protein expression of Bax and Cleaved Caspase-3 proteins,and miR-124-3p level in the model group increased(P＜0.05);while the left ventricular short-axis shortening rate(LVFS),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),Bcl-2 expression,EMP1 mRNA and protein expression decreased(P＜0.05).Compared with the model group,LVESD,LVEDD,myocardial infarction area,apoptosis rate,Bax and Cleaved Caspase-3 protein expression,and miR-124-3p level in miR-124-3p inhibitor group decreased(P＜0.05);while LVFS,LVEF levels,Bcl-2 and EMP1 mRNA and protein expressions increased(P＜0.05).The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that,compared with co-transfection of miR-124-3p mimic-NC and EMP1-WT,the relative luciferase activity of cells co-transfected with miR-124-3p mimic and EMP1-WT decreased(P＜0.05).Further,in the EMP1 knockdown experiment conducted on the basis of inhibiting miR-124-3p,the protective effect of inhibiting miR-124-3p on the myocardial tissue of AMI rats were reversed(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Inhibiting miR-124-3p can target upregulate EMP1 to inhibit cardiomyocyte apoptosis in AMI rats.
Keywords：acute myocardial infarctionmiR-124-3pepithelial membrane protein 1apoptosis of cardiomyocytescardiac functionexperimental study
Publication Date：2025-10-10
Online Publishing Date：2025-10-24(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 2955-2962 )