title: Effects of pitavastatin on the expression of VCAM-1 and its target gene miR-126 in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Reducing the expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules is conducive to the decrease of inflammation-induced vascular complications. In this study, we observed pitavastatin on expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and its influence on VCAM-1's target gene miR-126 in endothelial cells. The purpose of this study is to explore the mechanism of pitavastatin in prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  HUVEC were cultured in M1640 and passages 2-5 were used in experiments. The cells were randomly divided into three groups, control, TNF-α and pitavastatin group. Cells of TNF-α group were co-incubated with different concentrations (10, 20, 30 μg/L) of TNF-α for 24 h. Cells of pitavastatin group were firstly coincubated with (0.01, 0.1, 1 μmol/L) pitavastatin, respectively, for 1 h, then coincubated with 30 μg/L TNF-α for 24 h. VCAM-1 and miR-126 mRNA were detected by RT-PCR, and Western blotting was used to detect protein expression of VCAM-1.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both detection methods have showed that TNF-α stimulation significantly increased the mRNA and protein expression of VCAM-1 in a dose-dependent manner, and miR-126 mRNA expression exhibited a decreasing trend. The increase of VCAM-1 mRNA and protein expression induced by TNF-α was inhibited by pitavastatin in a dose-dependent manner, too. However, there were no differences of the expression of miR-126 among three groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These effects may explain the ability of pitavastatin to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis. The findings further suggest that inhibitory effect of pitavastatin on VCAM-1 is not related to miR-126 but depends on other ways.
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Qinglu
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Tianzhu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Luan
authors.forename: Songbin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Fangfang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000502:physiology*; D011804:Quinolines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; C527111:MIRN126 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs; D011804:Quinolines; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; C108475:pitavastatin
keywords: Atherosclerosis; Endothelial cells; MiR-126; Pitavastatin; Vascular cell adhesion molecule-1