MicroRNA-204-5p Attenuates Oxidative Stress, Apoptosis and Inflammation by Targeting TXNIP in Diabetic Cataract

• Published in: Biochemical genetics
• Main Authors: Cao, Xiang, Jiang, Zhixin, Bu, Xiaofei, Li, Qingyu, Tian, Ye, Xu, Zijiao, Zhang, Boyang, Yuan, Xiaoyong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 19.06.2024
• Subjects: Thioredoxin interacting protein; Oxidative stress; MiR-204-5p; Inflammation; Diabetic cataract; Apoptosis
• ISSN: 0006-2928; 1573-4927; 1573-4927
• DOI: 10.1007/s10528-024-10863-w

Diabetic cataract (DC) is a major cause of blindness in diabetic patients and it is characterized by early onset and rapid progression. MiR-204-5p was previously identified as one of the top five down-regulated miRNAs in human DC lens tissues. We aimed to determine the expression of miR-204-5p in human lens epithelial cells (HLECs) and explore its effects and mechanisms in regulating the progression of DC. The expression of miR-204-5p in the anterior capsules of DC patients and HLECs was examined by RT-qPCR. Bioinformatics tools were then used to identify the potential target of miR-204-5p. The relationship between miR-204-5p and the target gene was confirmed through a dual luciferase reporter assay. Additionally, the regulatory mechanism of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammation in DC was investigated by overexpressing miR-204-5p using miR-204-5p agomir. The expression of miR-204-5p was downregulated in the anterior capsules of DC patients and HLECs. Overexpression of miR-204-5p reduced ROS levels, pro-apoptosis genes (Bid, Bax, caspase-3), and IL-1β production in HG-treated HLECs. TXNIP was the direct target of miR-204-5p by dual luciferase reporter assay. Therefore, this study demonstrated that miR-204-5p effectively reduced oxidative damage, apoptosis, and inflammation in HLECs under HG conditions by targeting TXNIP. Targeting miR-204-5p could be a promising therapeutic strategy for the potential treatment of DC.