miRNA-382-5p Carried by Extracellular Vesicles in Osteoarthritis Reduces Cell Viability and Proliferation, and Promotes Cell Apoptosis by Targeting PTEN

The objective of the study was to identify extracellular vesicle (EV) microRNAs (miRNAs) that play important roles in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Models of knee OA were surgically induced in nine male Sprague-Dawley rats. Tissue samples were collected at 0 weeks (Control), 6 weeks (6 weeks), and 12 weeks (12 weeks). The EVs were isolated and analyzed for size. Various biomarkers, including recombinant tetraspanin 30 cluster of differentiation (CD)63 and CD9 were detected. An Agilent array was used to screen for differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs. The levels of DE miRNAs and their target mRNAs were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The viability, proliferation, and apoptosis of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced human synovial cells (HSCs) were examined by using Cell Counting Kit-8, EdU (5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine), and TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling) assays, respectively. The OA model rats had significantly increased levels of inflammatory activity, damaged cells, and rough articular cartilage when compared with rats in the control group. The EVs from the model rats appeared as round vesicle-like structures with a mean diameter of ∼145 nm. Five miRNAs that showed gradual increases in the model rats were selected for further analysis; those miRNAs included miR-127-3p, miR-132-3p, miR-141-3p, miR-345-5p, and miR-382-5p. miR-382-5p was found to reduce the viability and proliferation and promote the apoptosis of LPS-induced HSCs. Moreover, phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) was negatively regulated by miR-382-5p. Our findings revealed that EVs produced by the OA rats contained miR-382-5p, which might reduce cell viability and proliferation, and promote cell apoptosis by targeting PTEN.