Berberine Inhibits Migration and Apoptosis of Rat Podocytes in Diabetic Nephropathy via the Novel lncRNA LOC102549726 Related Pathway

ABSTRACT Background Diabetic nephropathy (DN) stands as one of the most severe complications of diabetes. Podocytes injury, particularly its attachment to the lateral glomerular basement membrane, serves as a crucial indicator of DN. Growing evidence suggests that berberine (BBR) can mitigate the onset and progression of DN. However, the molecular mechanisms through which BBR exerts its beneficial effects in the treatment of DN remain incompletely elucidated. Purpose To explore the underlying mechanisms by which BBR exerts its therapeutic effects in DN. Methods High‐throughput lncRNA sequencing on the renal cortex of both the DN model group and the normal SD group was performed to dig for differentially expressed lncRNAs. The expression of LOC102549726 was evaluated using qPCR. The biological functions of LOC102549726 were analyzed in podocyets and DN rats. The bioinformatics techniques, qPCR and WB were used to explore the potential molecular mechanisms. Results We found that lncRNA LOC102549726 was highly expressed in renal cortex of DN rats and podocytes subjected to high glucose conditions. Silencing LOC102549726 inhibited migration and apoptosis of podocytes. Mechanistically, LOC102549726 was identified as a facilitator of the expression of EGF and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1). BBR, a known therapeutic agent for DN, exhibited the ability to diminish the level of LOC102549726, EGF and FOXO1 in both DN rats and podocytes. Conclusion Our findings suggested that BBR suppresses migration and apoptosis of podocytes in DN through targeting the LOC102549726/EGF/FOXO1 axis. This sheds light on a potential therapeutic avenue for mitigating the impact of DN on podocyte function.