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Effect of miR-129-5p on liver injury in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease rats by regulating the RhoA/ROCK pathway
- Zhang Caiying, Quan Yangya, Xu Ruosi, Chen Lu
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Chinese Journal of Clinical Anatomy. 2026, 44(1):
70-77.
doi:10.13418/j.issn.1001-165x.2026.1.11
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Abstract
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Objective To explore the effect of microRNA-129-5p (miR-129-5p) on liver injury in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) rats by regulating the Rho kinase (RhoA)/Rho-associated coiled coil kinase (ROCK) pathway. Methods A total of 28 patients with MAFLD who were treated in our hospital from June to December 2024 were selected as MAFLD group, while another 28 healthy individuals undergoing physical examinations were selected as control group. The expression levels of miR-129-5p, RhoA, and ROCK mRNA in the serum of MAFLD group and control group were detected using qRT-PCR method. The dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to verify the interaction between miR-129-5p and RhoA. MAFLD rats were constructed, and successfully modeled rats were classified into MAFLD group, NC agomir group (tail vein injection of NC agomir), miR-129-5p agomir group (tail vein injection of miR-129-5p agomir), and LPA (tail vein injection of miR-129-5p agomir+1 mg/kg LPA) randomly, each with 12 rats. Another 12 normal rats were considered as NC group. NC group and MAFLD group were injected with equal amounts of physiological saline. The serum liver function, blood lipids, inflammatory factors, and the expression of TC and TG in liver tissue were measured. QRT-PCR was used to detect miR-129-5p, RhoA, and ROCK mRNA in liver tissue of MAFLD rats. HE staining and Oil Red O staining were used to detect liver tissue pathology. TUNEL staining was applied to detect apoptosis of liver tissue cells. Western blot was applied to detect RhoA and ROCK proteins in liver tissue. Results Compared with control group, the expression of miR-129-5p in the serum of MAFLD group decreased, while the expressions of RhoA and ROCK mRNA increased (P<0.05). miR-129-5p could target negative regulation of RhoA. The liver tissue of NC group was normal. The liver tissues of MAFLD group and NC agomir group showed hepatic steatosis, prominent swelling in morphology, balloon like changes, vacuolization, and many red fat droplets. The rats of miR-129-5p agomir group showed a small amount of mild hepatic steatosis, with small circular vacuoles and prominently reduced lipid droplets observed in cytoplasm. The hepatic steatosis in LPA group further worsened, and the number of fat droplets was further increased. The rats in MAFLD group had higher TC in liver and serum, TG, LDL-C, AST, ALT, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, RhoA mRNA and protein, ROCK mRNA and protein in liver and serum, and apoptosis rate than NC group, and lower HDL-C and miR-129-5p than the NC group (P<0.05). The rats in miR-129-5p agomir group had lower TC in liver and serum, TG, LDL-C, AST, ALT, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, RhoA mRNA and protein, ROCK mRNA and protein in the liver and serum, and apoptosis rate than MAFLD group and NC agomir group, and higher HDL-C and miR-129-5p than MAFLD group and NC agomir group (P<0.05). The LPA group had higher TC in liver and serum, TG, LDL-C, AST, ALT, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, RhoA mRNA and protein, ROCK mRNA and protein in liver and serum, and apoptosis rate than miR-129-5p agomir group, and lower HDL-C than miR-129-5p agomir group (P<0.05). Conclusions MiR-129-5p may alleviate liver injury caused by MAFLD by targeting negative regulation of RhoA/ROCK pathway.