MicroRNA-497 Induces Apoptosis and Suppresses Proliferation via the Bcl-2/Bax-Caspase9-Caspase3 Pathway and Cyclin D2 Protein in HUVECs

MicroRNAs play crucial roles in various types of diseases. However, to date, no information about the role of miR-497 in the development of atherosclerosis has been reported. This study investigated the possible role of miR-497 in vascular endothelial cell injury during the early stage of atherosclerosis. The expression level of miR-497 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) exposed to ox-LDL was detected using qRT-PCR. To perform gain of function and loss of function analyses, miR-497 mimics were transfected into HUVECs, and miR-497 inhibitors were transfected into HUVECs stimulated with ox-LDL. Flow cytometry was used to analyze cell cycle progression and apoptosis. EdU and CCK-8 assays were employed to detect DNA synthesis and cell proliferation, respectively. After bioinformatics prediction, a dual Luciferase Reporter assay was used to analyze the direct target genes of miR-497. The mRNA and protein levels of the target genes were detected using qRT-PCR and western blot analyses, respectively. Caspase-9/3 activity was analyzed to determine the mechanism of endothelial dysfunction. We showed that miR-497 was significantly upregulated in HUVECs stimulated with ox-LDL. Ectopic expression of miR-497 suppressed cell proliferation, induced apoptosis and increased the activity of caspase-9/3. After verification, Bcl2 and CCND2 were shown to be direct target genes of miR-497 in HUVECs. MiR-497 significantly suppressed cell proliferation by arresting the cell cycle through the CCND2 protein and induced apoptosis through the Bcl2/Bax-caspase9-caspase3 pathway. Overall, our study shows that miR-497 might play a role in the development of atherosclerosis by inducing apoptosis and suppressing the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells. Therefore, miR-497 could be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of atherosclerosis.