Identification and Verification of the Effect of miR-143 on the Cardioprotective Role of Phosphocreatine in Doxorubicin- Induced Cardiotoxicity by Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Zhou Chi , Zhou Zi-Mo , Hu Ling , Yang Ya-Yuan , Meng Xiang-Wen , Yang Xiao-Song 
Published: December 2021

Purpose MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play pivotal role in drugs-induced cardiotoxicity act as biomarkes, diagnostic tools and endogenous repressors of gene expression by lowering mRNA stability and interfering with mRNA translation. However, the effect of miRNAs on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity still not clear. In the present study, we identified several key candidate miRNAs involving doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity in rat myocardial tissues and adult rat cardiomyocytes from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database via integrated bioinformatics analysis, and the possible effect of miR-143 in the protection of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity by phosphocreatine was subsequently investigated in vivo and in vitro. Methods GSE36239 miRNA expression profiles of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in rat myocardial tissues and adult rat cardiomyocytes (ARC) were extracted fromGEO datasets. |log2FC| > 1 and P < 0.05 were set as screening criteria, miRNAs expressed in myocardial tissues or ARC were selected as different expression miRNA (DEMs), and subsequently the key miRNAs were obtained from candidate DEMs between myocardial tissues and ARC with Venny 2.1 software. Target genes of miR-143 were predicted with Targetscan and miRBase in the species of homo sapiens, and candidate genes were obtained with Venny 2.1. The gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway (KEGG) enrichment analyses were carried out. Final, the expression and potential role of miR-143 were verified in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity of rat and cardiomyocytes H9c2. Results A total 24 DEMs were captured , including 15 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated genes in rat myocardial tissues and 42 DEMs were discovered, including 13 up-regulated and 29 down-regulated in ARC. Ultimately, 6 DEMs were determined in rat myocardial tissues and ARC by venny 2.1 software. 46 target genes of miR-143, one of the 6 DEMs, were captured from the predict results of Targetscan and miRBase with venny 2.1. The target genes were notably enriched in biological processes (BP) such as cell proliferation and migration. KEGG pathway analysis showed the target genes were enriched in HIF-1 and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, which closely related to the oxidative stress and cardiomyocytes apoptosis. Further, western blot and RT-PCR results showed DOX-induced oxidative stress down-regulated the expression of miR-143 and Nrf2, SOD and BCL2, and up-regulated Bax and Cleaved caspase 3, while they could been reversed by the intervention of phosphocreatine (PCr) or N-acetyl-L-cystine (NAC) in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in vivo and in vitro.Conclusion Our data showed that DOX-induced oxidative stress could decrease the expression of miR-143, promote apoptosis of cardiomyocytes, while PCr or NAC mediated antioxidation could reverse the expression down-regulation of miR-143, alleviated apoptosis in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Our findings elucidated the regulatory network involving miR-143 in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, and might unveiled a potential biomarker and molecular mechanisms, which could be helpful to the diagnosis and treatment of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.