MiR-337-3p promotes chondrocytes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis by regulating PTEN/AKT axis in osteoarthritis

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of articular cartilage and its main pathological feature is cartilage destruction, but its specific pathogenesis is still debatable. The aim of this study was to explore the role of miR-337-3p in OA pathogenesis. Methods: The expression of miR-337-3p and PTEN in osteoarthritic cartilage tissues was detected using quantitative real time PCR and western blot, respectively. The regulation of miR-337-3p on PTEN was examined by luciferase reporter gene assays. The manipulation of miR-337-3p and PTEN was mediated by siRNA interference technology. The cell viability was analyzed by MTT assays. Results: MiR-337-3p expression was significantly down-regulated in osteoarthritic cartilage tissues compared with normal cartilage tissues. Further studies confirmed that miR-337-3p overexpression evidently promoted the proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of OA chondrocytes. PTEN expression was significantly up-regulated in osteoarthritic cartilage tissues and was negatively regulated by miR-337-3p in chondrocytes. PTEN silencing could improve the proliferation of OA chondrocytes and increased pAKT protein expression in OA chondrocytes. Conclusion: MiR-337-3p regulated OA chondrocytes proliferation through PTEN/AKT axis and thus involved in OA.