Potential role of microRNA-503 in Icariin-mediated prevention of high glucose-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Background: Dysregulated microRNA (miRNA) is crucial in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN).

Aim: To investigate the potential molecular mechanism of Icariin (ICA) in regulating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated apoptosis in high glucose (HG)-induced primary rat kidney cells (PRKs), with emphasis on the role of miR-503 and sirtuin 4 (SIRT4) in this process.

Methods: Single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) in Sprague-Dawley rats induce DN in the hyperglycemic model.