CCL2 regulated by the CTBP1-AS2/miR-335-5p axis promotes hemangioma progression and angiogenesis

Abstract

Context: Hemangioma (HA) is a benign vascular neoplasm that can lead to permanent scarring. C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) plays a crucial role in facilitating growth and angiogenesis during HA progression. However, the mechanism regulating CCL2 in HA remains poorly elucidated. Objective: To elucidate the mechanism regulating CCL2 in HA. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was employed to determine the expression levels of CCL2, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) CTBP1 divergent transcript (CTBP1-AS2), and microRNAs (miRNAs). Proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenic abilities of human HA endothelial cells (HemECs) were assessed using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, flow cytometry, transwell, and tube formation assays. Bioinformatics analysis, RNA pull-down, and luciferase reporter assays were conducted to investigate whether CCL2 targets miR-335-5p. Additionally, rescue experiments were performed in this study. Results: CCL2 expression was markedly upregulated in HemECs. CCL2 promoted HA cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis while inhibiting apoptosis. CCL2 was directly targeted by miR-335-5p. Additionally, we found that CTBP1-AS2 could function as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to sponge miR-335-5p, thereby upregulating CCL2. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that targeting the CTBP1-AS2/miR-335-5p/CCL2 axis may hold promise as a therapeutic strategy for HA.