The lncRNA OIP5-AS1/miR-181a-5p Axis Promotes TGF-β1-induced Fibrosis in HK2 Cells.

Background: Th is study was conducted to explore the role of OIP5-AS1 in a fibrosis cell model through its interaction with miR-181a-5p.

Methods: An in-vitro fibrosis model was established by inducing human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK2) with TGF-β1. The expression levels of OIP5-AS1 and miR-181a-5p in the control (Normal) and model (TGF-β1) groups were measured using Quantitative Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR).. qPCR and  Western Blot  (WB) were used to detect the expression of genes and proteins related to fibrosis and EMT in the two groups of cells. Subsequently, The effect of OIP5-AS1 on TGF-β1-induced fibrosis in HK2 cells was investigated by assessing cell proliferation using the CCK-8 assay and analyzing the expression of fibrosis- and EMT-related proteins through WB.. The targeting relationship between OIP5-AS1 and miR-181a-5p, as well as the influence of OIP5-AS1 on miR-181a-5p expression, was investigated using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Subsequently, the impact of miR-181a-5p upregulation on the proliferation of TGF-β1-induced HK2 cells was examined through a CCK-8 assay.

Results: The study found that TGF-β1 treatment upregulated OIP5-AS1, α-SMA, Col-IV, and FN in HK2 cells while downregulating miR-181a-5p and E-cadherin. OIP5-AS1 downregulation promoted cell proliferation and inhibited fibrosis-related proteins. MiR-181a-5p was identified as a direct target of OIP5-AS1, and its upregulation enhanced cell proliferation. Conclusion . The suppression of OIP5-AS1 attenuates TGF-β1-induced fibrosis in HK2 cells through the regulation of miR-181a-5p.