miR-155 inhibits oxidized low-density lipoprotein–induced apoptosis in different cell models by targeting the p85α/AKT pathway

miR-155 inhibits oxidized low-density lipoprotein–induced apoptosis in different cell models by targeting the p85α/AKT pathway:

Abstract

The apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells (VECs), vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and macrophages directly causes the instability or rupture of atherosclerotic plaques. Accumulating evidence suggests that oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) could induce apoptosis via endogenous or exogenous pathways. Interestingly, it has been reported that microRNA155 (miR-155) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of apoptosis. Here, we hypothesized that overexpression of miR-155 could inhibit OxLDL-induced apoptosis by targeting the p85α/AKT pathway. In this study, we established models of OxLDL-induced apoptosis in mouse VECs, VSMCs, and macrophages. Furthermore, we explored the effects of miR-155 expression on the apoptosis of different cells, and ultimately revealed whether miR-155 regulated apoptosis by targeting the p85α/AKT pathway. The results demonstrated that miR-155 inhibited p85α expression and attenuated VEC, VSMC, and macrophage apoptosis, at least in part by suppressing the expression of p85α-activated AKT to inhibit apoptosis. Our findings collectively suggested that miR-155 attenuated OxLDL-mediated apoptosis in different cells by targeting p85α, supporting its possible therapeutic role in atherosclerosis.