miR-182-5p attenuates Schistosoma japonicum -induced hepatic fibrosis by targeting tristetraprolin

Egg granuloma formation in the liver is the main pathological lesion caused by infection, which generally results in liver fibrosis and may lead to death in advanced patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate the process of liver fibrosis, but the putative function of miRNAs in liver fibrosis induced by . infection is largely unclear. Here, we detect a new miRNA, miR-182-5p, which shows significantly decreased expression in mouse livers after stimulation by soluble egg antigen (SEA) of . or . infection. Knockdown or overexpression of miR-182-5p causes the increased or decreased expression of tristetraprolin (TTP), an important immunosuppressive protein in the process of liver fibrosis. Furthermore, knockdown of miR-182-5p upregulates TTP expression and significantly alleviates . -induced hepatic fibrosis. Our data demonstrate that downregulation of miR-182-5p increases the expression of TTP in mouse livers following schistosome infection, which leads to destabilization of inflammatory factor mRNAs and attenuates liver fibrosis. Our results uncover fine-tuning of liver inflammatory reactions related to liver fibrosis caused by . infection and provide new insights into the regulation of schistosomiasis-induced hepatic fibrosis.