CircRSU1 alleviates LPS-induced human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell injury by targeting miR-1224-5p/ITGA5 axis

To investigate the potential functions and regulatory mechanism of circRSU1 on septic acute lung injury (sepsis-ALI) progression. We used lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs) to establish the cell model of sepsis-ALI in vitro. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used for the detection of genes and proteins. The migration and tubulogenesis of HPMECs were assessed by transwell, wound healing, and tube formation assays. Inflammatory factors were detected by ELISA analysis. Cell permeability (PA) was determined by transendothelial resistance (TEER) and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) with transwell assay. The interaction between miR-1224-5p and circRSU1 or ITGA5 (Integrin Subunit Alpha 5) was studied by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. CircRSU1 expression was decreased after LPS treatment in HPMECs. Functionally, re-expression of circRSU1 in HPMECs could alleviate LPS-induced inflammatory response, the inhibition of cell migration and tube formation and enhancement of cell permeability. Mechanistically, circRSU1 acted as a sponge for miR-1224-5p. LPS treatment enhanced miR-1224-5p expression, and inhibition of miR-1224-5p reversed LPS-evoked HPMEC dysfunction mentioned above. Moreover, miR-1224-5p could abolish the protective effects of circRSU1 on HPMECs. In addition, miR-1224-5p directly targeted ITGA5, and circRSU1 was able to regulate ITGA5 expression via interacting with miR-1224-5p. CircRSU1 could alleviate LPS-induced HPMEC injury by miR-1224-5p/ITGA5 axis, indicating the potential molecular contribution of circRSU1 in sepsis-ALI.