To observe the effect of microRNA-155 (miR-155) on the inflammatory response of rat alveolar macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

The alveolar macrophages NR8383 of rat were cultured in vitro, the macrophages in logarithmic growth phase were harvested to conduct experiment. ① The 1 mg/L LPS was used to stimulate the rat alveolar macrophages for 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours, a phosphate buffer solution (PBS) control group was also set up. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the dynamic changes of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the supernatant, and real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the dynamics expression of miR-155 in the cells, which confirmed the optimal time for LPS stimulation was 12 hours. ② Carboxyfluorescein (FAM) labeled mimic (FAM mimic) and inhibitor (FAM inhibitor) were used to transfect the alveolar macrophage, and the transfection effect was observed under inverted fluorescence microscope 6 hours later to confirm the optimal transfection concentration of mimic was 20 nmol/L, and the optimal transfection concentration of inhibitor was 100 nmol/L. miR-155 mimic and miR-155 inhibitor were transfected to alveolar macrophages respectively at the optimal transfection concentration for 24 hours, and 1 mg/L LPS was used to stimulate the cells for 12 hours. A mimic negative control + LPS group and an inhibitor negative control + LPS group were set up. The expressions of IL-1β and TNF-α in the supernatant were determined by ELISA to observe the regulation of miR-155 on inflammatory response of alveolar macrophages.

① After stimulation of 1 mg/L LPS on alveolar macrophages, the contents of IL-1β and TNF-α in the supernatant and the expression of miR-155 in the cells were increased gradually with time prolongation, IL-1β and TNF-α contents peaked at 12 hours, and the expression of miR-155 peaked at 24 hours [as compared with PBS control group, IL-1β (ng/L): 910.43±36.09 vs. 22.66±7.84, TNF-α (ng/L): 3 138.39±394.10 vs. 233.92±8.84, miR-155 (2^-ΔΔCt): 7.82±0.30 vs. 1, all P < 0.05]. ② Under inverted fluorescence microscope, after 20 nmol/L FAM mimic or 100 nmol/L FAM inhibitor transfected alveolar macrophages for 6 hours, a large number of cells showed green fluorescence, indicating that the transfection was successful. The expression of miR-155 in the cells transfected with 20 nmol/L miR-155 mimic was up-regulated by (236.73±46.49) times as much as that in the negative control group (P < 0.05), and the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the supernatant of the cells stimulated by 1 mg/L LPS for 12 hours were significantly lower than those in the negative control group [IL-1β (ng/L): 324.37±36.59 vs. 799.31±39.44, TNF-α (ng/L): 1 554.01±342.48 vs. 3 020.49±418.30, both P < 0.05]. The miR-155 activity was significantly inhibited in the cells transfected with 100 nmol/L miR-155 inhibitor, and the expression of miR-155 was decreased by (4.00±3.26)% as compared with the negative control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05), and the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in the supernatant of the cells stimulated by 1 mg/L LPS for 12 hours were significantly higher than those in the negative control group [IL-1β (ng/L): 1 358.98±212.04 vs. 878.68±53.42, TNF-α (ng/L): 4 225.57±281.11 vs. 2 881.32±286.08, both P < 0.05].

In LPS induced inflammatory response of alveolar macrophages, miR-155 plays an obvious inhibitory role.

MicroRNA-155; Alveolar macrophage; Inflammatory response; Transfection