Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common disease of the central nervous system. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an essential role in neuron disorders. This study aimed to investigate the role and regulatory mechanism of circ_0013613 in promoting functional recovery of spinal cord injury (SCI). The mRNA and miRNA expressions were calculated by RT-QPCR. The characteristics of circ_0013613 in nerve cells was determined by actinomycin D and RNase R assay. Protein expression was detected using Western blot. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity assay was performed to determine cytotoxicity. ELISA was conducted to detect the release of cytokines. MTT assay and flow cytometry were applied to measure cellular functions. In SCI patients and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced primary spinal cord neurons circ_0013613 was increased. Knockdown of circ_0013613 suppressed LPS-stimulated cytotoxicity, inflammation and inflammation-induced pyroptosis. Additionally, circ_0013613 negatively regulated miR-370-3p, downregulation of which degraded cellular functions of spinal cord neurons. Moreover, miR-370-3p targeted Caspase1 (CASP1), overexpression of which promoted the inflammation and pyroptosis of spinal cord neurons. circ_0013613 can promote the recovery of SCI by regulating miR-370-3p/CASP1 to mediate neuronal pyroptosis.