Abstract
Vascular calcification, characterized by the accumulation of calcium-phosphate crystals in blood vessels, is a major cause of cardiovascular complications and chronic kidney disease (CKD)-related death. This work focuses on the molecules involved in high-phosphorus-mediated vascular calcification in CKD. A rat model of CKD was established by 5/6 nephrectomy, and the rats were given normal phosphorus diet (NPD) or high phosphorus diet (HPD). HPD decreased kidney function, increased the concentration of calcium ion and damaged vascular structure in the thoracic aorta of diseased rats. A high phosphorus condition enhanced calcium deposition in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). High phosphorus also increased the expression of RUNX2 whereas reduced the expression of α-SM actin in the aortic tissues and VSMCs. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) H19 was upregulated in the aortic tissues after HPD treatment. H19 bound to microRNA (miR)-138 to block its inhibitory effect on TLR3 mRNA and activated the NF-κB signaling pathway. Downregulation of H19 or TLR3 alleviated, whereas downregulation of miR-138 aggravated the calcification and vascular damage in model rats and VSMCs. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the H19/miR-138/TLR3 axis is involved in high phosphorus-mediated vascular calcification in rats with CKD.