microRNA-126 inhibits tube formation of HUVECs by interacting with EGFL7 and down-regulating PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

It's critical for tube formation and angiogenesis to repair ischemic myocardium or stroke. This study aimed to investigate role of microRNA-126 (miR-126) in tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and associated mechanisms. Primary neural stem cells (NSCs) and HUVECs were cultured and transfected with microRNA-126 mimics and miR-126 inhibitor. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and cell cycle assay were conducted for evaluating NSCs viability. Transwell assay was conducted to observe invasive ability of HUVECs. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay was used to examine epidermal growth factor like domain 7 (EGFL7) and miR-126 mRNA both in vitro and animal models. Tube forming capability was evaluated in HUVECs. Dual luciferase assay was performed to evaluate interaction between miR-126 and EGFL7 gene. Western blot assay was used to determine phosphoinositide-3-kinase/protein kinase-B (PI3K/AKT) signaling molecules and EGFL7. The results indicated that miR-126 significantly decreased cell viability, inhibited invasive ability and modulated cell cycle of NSCs compared to miR-NC group (p