Su Wei, Xie Wen, Shang Qingkun, Su Bing
Department of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan 453003, China.
Luoyang Orthopedic Hospital, Luoyang, Henan 471002, China.
Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:356893. doi: 10.1155/2015/356893. Epub 2015 May 21.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is becoming a major public health problem in China, especially considering the increase in average life expectancy of the population. Thus, enhanced understanding of the molecular changes associated with OA is urgently needed to develop more effective strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of this debilitating disease. LncRNAs play an important role in the processes of bone and cartilage development. Maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) is a maternally expressed lncRNA and may function as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting angiogenesis. OA is closely associated with angiogenesis and the inhibition of angiogenesis presents a novel therapeutic approach to reduce inflammation and pain in OA. In this study, we detected the mRNA expression of MEG3 and VEGF in articular cartilage samples from 20 OA patients and 10 healthy volunteers by real-time RT-PCR. VEGF protein is detected by ELISA in cartilage samples. The results show that human MEG3 is significantly downregulated in OA patients compared to normal cartilage samples. However, higher levels of VEGF mRNA and protein are found in OA compared to the control. Moreover, MEG3 levels are inversely associated with VEGF levels, suggesting that MEG3 may be involved in OA development through the regulation of angiogenesis.
骨关节炎（OA）在中国正成为一个重大的公共卫生问题，尤其是考虑到人口平均预期寿命的增加。因此，迫切需要加强对与OA相关的分子变化的了解，以制定更有效的策略来诊断和治疗这种使人衰弱的疾病。长链非编码RNA（lncRNAs）在骨骼和软骨发育过程中起重要作用。母源表达基因3（MEG3）是一种母源表达的lncRNA，可能通过抑制血管生成发挥肿瘤抑制作用。OA与血管生成密切相关，抑制血管生成是一种减少OA炎症和疼痛的新治疗方法。在本研究中，我们通过实时逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测了20例OA患者和10名健康志愿者关节软骨样本中MEG3和血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）的mRNA表达。通过酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）检测软骨样本中的VEGF蛋白。结果表明，与正常软骨样本相比，OA患者中人类MEG3显著下调。然而，与对照组相比，OA中VEGF的mRNA和蛋白水平更高。此外，MEG3水平与VEGF水平呈负相关，表明MEG3可能通过调节血管生成参与OA的发展。
