ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the effects of adiponectin (APN, also known as ADIPOQ) -related miR- 371b-5p with differential expressions in the epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and plasma in the patients with coronary artery disease CAD) on the secretions of APN, KruppelTike factor 4(KLF4), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemokine 1 (MCP-1), and to elucidate the mechanism of action of miR-371b-5p in CAD. Methods: The EAT and blood samples were collected from the patients with CAD (CAD group, n= 34) and non-CAD (non-CAD group, n=16). Real-time quantitative PCR qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression levels of miR-371b-5p in the EAT and plasma of the patients in two groups. The successfully induced 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were divided into (without any treatment), miR-371b-5p over-expression group (transfected with miR-371b-5p mimics) and miR- 371b-5p inhibitor group (transfected with miR-371b-5p inhibitor). The relative expression levels of APN, KLF4, IL-6 and MCP-1 mRNA in the 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were detected by qRT-PCR method. The miR-371b-5p was analyzed by bioinformatics. Results: The expression levels of miR-371b-5p in the EAT and plasma of the patients in CAD group were higher than those in non-CAD group (P<0. 01). Compared with blank control group, the expression levels of APN and KLF4 mRNA in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in miR-371b-5p over-expression group were decreased (P=0. 043, P=0. 045), and the expression levels of IL-6 and MCP-1 mRNA in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in miR-371b-5p over-expression group were increased (P=0. 037, P=0. 041). Compared with blank control group, the expression levels of APN and KLF4 in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in miR-371b-5p inhibitor group were increased (P=0. 025, P=0. 027), and the expression levels of IL-6 and MCP-1 mRNA in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in miR-371b- 5p inhibitor group were decreased (P= 0.039, P= 0.041). The target genes predicted by miR-371b-5p were enriched in multiple biological functions and processes. The KEGG pathway was mainly enriched in the signaling pathways such as adipocytokines The protein interaction results showed that the target genes APN, leptin (LEP) and AKT1 encoded proteins predicted by miR-371b-5p were located at the core of the interaction network. Conclusion: The expression levels of anti-inflammatory factors in the cells with over-expression of miR-371b-5p in EAT of the patients with CAD are decreased, the expression levels of inflammatory factors are increased, and miR- 371b-5p is expected to become a new target for CAD treatment.