MiR-361-5p promotes oxygen–glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation induced neuronal injury by negatively regulating SQSTM1 in vitro

It has been reported that microRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study aimed to explore the role of miR-361-5p in oxygen–glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation-induced neuronal injury in vitro. Cerebral I/R injury cell model was established by using PC12 cells exposed to oxygen–glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation (OGD/R). The expression of miR-361-5p and SQSTM1 was evaluated by qRT-PCR or western blot. Neuronal apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, and cell viability was assessed by CCK-8 assay. The effects of miR-361-5p on the release of LDH and the levels of MDA, SOD, and GSH-Px were investigated by respective detection kits. Dual-luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay were performed to determine the interaction between miR-361-5p and SQSTM1. Rescue experiments were performed to evaluate the function of miR-361-5p and SQSTM1. MiR-361-5p was significantly upregulated, and SQSTM1 was significantly downregulated in OGD/R-stimulated PC12 cells. MiR-361-5p could directly interact with SQSTM1 and negatively regulated it. Inhibition of miR-361-5p efficiently inhibited OGD/R-induced apoptosis and attenuated OGD/R-induced growth defect in PC12 cells. In addition, SQSTM1 overexpression partially attenuates the apoptosis and promoted the viability of OGD/R-treated PC12 cells, which were aggravated by miR-361-5p mimics. Our study demonstrated that miR-361-5p promotes OGD/R-induced neuronal injury via regulating SQSTM1 in PC12 cells.