• Xiaozheng Song, Yuqiang Cui, and Teng Zhu.
• Department of Cardiology, Shengli Oilfield Central Hospital, 31 Jinan Road, Dongying 257034, China.
• Am. J. Med. Sci. 2023 Apr 1; 365 (4): 375385375-385.

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown the role of microRNA (miR)-19 in aging-related heart failure. The present study aimed to verify the effects of miR-19 on cardiac fibrosis and its target.MethodsCardiac fibrosis was induced by myocardial infarction (MI)-induced heart failure and angiotensin (Ang) II-treated rats in vivo, and was induced in Ang II-treated cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) in vitro.ResultsThe expression of miR-19 was reduced in the heart tissue of MI and Ang II-treated rats, and Ang II-treated CFs. The impaired cardiac function in rats was repaired after miR-19 administration. The levels of collagen I, collagen III and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) increased in the heart tissue of MI and Ang II-treated rats, and Ang II-treated CFs. These increases were reversed by miR-19 agomiR. Moreover, the bioinformatic analysis and luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) was a direct target of miR-19. MiR-19 treatment inhibited CTGF expression in CFs, while CTGF overexpression inhibited miR-19 agomiR to attenuate the Ang II-induced increases of collagen I and collagen III in CFs. The increases of p-ERK, p-JNK and p-p38 in the CFs induced by Ang II were repressed by miR-19 agomiR.ConclusionsUpregulating miR-19 can improve cardiac function and attenuate cardiac fibrosis by inhibiting the CTGF and MAPK pathways.Copyright © 2022 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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