MiR-140-5p exerts a protective function in pregnancy-induced hypertension via mediating TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.

Animal experiments showed that PIH rats had increased mean arterial pressure (MAP), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), but decreased litter size, number of viable fetuses, fetal weight, and placental weight. The higher Flt-1 and lower VEGF was observed in PIH rats with elevated TNF-α and IL-6 levels and decreased IL-10 levels. Treatment with agomiR-140-5p improved regarding the above indicators. Cell experiments demonstrated that miR-140-5p mimic increased cell invasion and migration abilities and decreased the activity of TGF-β/Smad pathway, while TGFBR1 can reverse the role of miR-140-5p mimic in trophoblasts.