STUDY ON THE ROLE AND MECHANISM OF MICRORNA-650/WNT1 IN THE REPAIR OF ARTICULAR CARTILAGE INJURY.

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease associated with chondrocyte injury. This study investigated the dysregulation of microRNA-650 (miR-650) in cartilage tissues of patients with OA. Its function and mechanism were also investigated in OA cell models.

Methods: miR-650 levels were examined in 15 OA cartilage tissues and ten healthy cartilage tissues. SW1353 cells were used for cell function experiments and IL-1β was applied to the cells to mimic OA conditions in vitro. Cell functions such as proliferation, apoptosis, and inflammation were detected. The downstream target gene of miR-650 was identified and confirmed by bioinformatic analysis and luciferase activity assay. Rescue experiments were performed to verify the mechanism.

Results: Suppressed expression of miR-650 was tested in patients with OA and cell models. Overexpression of miR-650 increased cell proliferation but suppressed apoptosis and inflammation of SW1353. As the target gene of miR-650, WNT1 overexpression counteracted the role of miR-650 in the function of SW1353.

Conclusion: miR-650 can protect against articular cartilage injury in OA by targeting WNT1. Level of Evidence I, Experimental Study.