Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial chronic disease that is a major cause of death and injury worldwide. Apoptosis of endothelial cells (ECs) serves an important role in the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) serve a key role in atherosclerosis though regulating the function of ECs. At present, the role of miRNA-144-5p (miR-144-5p) in atherosclerosis is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of miR-144-5p on atherosclerosis in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Results from the present study demonstrated that miR-144-5p overexpression could inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in HUVECs. To further study the biological function of miR-144-5p, the effects of modulating miR-144-5p expression on the invasion and migration of HUVECs were also examined. The results demonstrated that miR-144-5p upregulation suppressed HUVEC migration and invasion. TargetScan and dual luciferase reporter assay results demonstrated that SMAD1 was a direct target gene of miR-144-5p. miR-144-5p upregulation inhibited the expression of phosphorylated-SMAD1/5/8 in the SMAD pathway. In conclusion, the data indicated that miR-144-5p serves an important role in the development of atherosclerosis through regulating the function of HUVECs by targeting SMAD1.