Mir-195-5p targets Smad7 regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to promote osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells.

In this study, we sought to investigate the mechanisms of action of miR-195-5p in the osteogenic differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and thereby provide novel insights and a reference for the targeted therapy of arterial media calcification. VSMC differentiation was induced using sodium β-glycerophosphate, and we investigated the effects of transfecting cells with miR-195-5p mimics, vectors overexpressing Smad7, and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitor (KYA1797K) on VSMC differentiation by determining cell viability and apoptosis, and the mRNA and protein expression of factors associated with osteogenic differentiation and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The results revealed that miR-195-5p mimics enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of VSMCs induced by β-glycerophosphate, whereas the overexpression of Smad7 reversed this phenomenon.

Microarray expression profiling and gene ontology analysis of long non-coding RNAs in spontaneously hypertensive rats and their potential roles in the pathogenesis of hypertension.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to be significant in numerous biological processes. Hypertension is a form of cardiovascular disease with at least one billion cases worldwide. The present study sought to compare the differential expression profiles of lncRNAs in the renal cortex of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and normotensive Wistar‑Kyoto (WKY) rats.

[Telmisartan reduces retina vessel endothelial cell apoptosis via upregulating retinal ACE2-Ang-(1-7)-Mas axis in spontaneous hypertensive rats].

Objective: To investigate the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) antagonist telmisartan on retina vessel endothelial cell apoptosis and its impact on the ACE2-Ang-(1-7)-Mas axis in spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR).

Methods: Thirty-six SHR 16 week-old were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 12 each): SHR, SHRT (telmisartan 10 mg · kg-1 · d-1 by gastric gavage) and SHRTA group (telmisartan 10 mg · kg-1 · d-1 by gastric gavage plus intravenous injection of A-779 0.5 mg · kg-1 · d-1), twelve WKY rats served as normotensive control group.