Exosome-derived miR-181a promotes angiogenesis of glioma

Abstract

Objective: To explore the effect of exosome-derived miR-181a on angiogenesis and tumor progression in gliomas.Methods: 83 cases of glioma tissues and 13 cases of peritumoral tissues resected in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University from August 2017 to December 2019, glioma cells U87, A172, U251, LN229, U373 and microglial cell line HM, were selected to detect the expression of miR-181a in tumor tissues and cells by qPCR method. Glioma U373 cells with miR-181a overexpression or knockdown were constructed, and exosomes were isolated and identified. The effects of exsome-derived miR-181a on angiogenesis of HUVEC cells were investigated by tubule formation and chicken chorioallantoic membrane assay in vitro. Nude mice bearing U373 cell transplanted xenograft was constructed to observe the effect of exsome-derived miR-181a on angiogenesis and tumor growth in vivo. Results: The expression of miR-181a in glioma tissues and cells was significantly higher than that in normal tissues and normal glial HM cells (all P<0.01). The exsome-derived miR-181a could significantly promote the tubule formation of HUVEC cells (P<0.01) and the angiogenesis of chicken chorioallantoic membrane (all P<0.01). In vivo experiments showed that the growth of xenografts was promoted (P<0.05) and the amount of angiogenesis in the tumor tissues was increased in the nude mice after being transfused with exsome-derived miR-181a (P<0.01). Conclusion: miR-181a plays an important role in promoting angiogenesis of gliomas and may be a potential target for diagnosis and treatment of gliomas.