CircRNA_0092516 regulates chondrocyte proliferation and apoptosis in osteoarthritis through the miR-337-3p/PTEN axis
Abstract Background The dysregulation of circular RNAs (circRNAs) has been identified in various human diseases. Here, we mainly investigated the potential mechanism of circRNA_0092516 in osteoarthritis (OA). Methods The expression of circRNA_0092516 was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. MTT, flow cytometry, and Western blot were used to confirm the functions of circRNA_0092516 in vitro. Besides, RNA pull-down and dual-luciferase reporter gene experiments were used to study the potential mechanism. Results circRNA_0092516 was up-regulated in the tissues of OA patients and chondrocytes stimulated by IL-1β. The potential mechanism analysis revealed that circRNA_0092516 bound to miR-337-3p, and the interference with circRNA_0092516 promoted chondrocyte proliferation and repressed cell apoptosis through the miR-337-3p/PTEN axis, thereby improving OA. Conclusions Overall, our data showed that the interference with circRNA_0092516 promoted chondrocyte proliferation and repressed cell apoptosis through the miR-337-3p/PTEN axis, eventually slowed down the progress of OA.