MiR-126 targets IL-17A to enhance proliferation and inhibit apoptosis in high-glucose-induced human retinal endothelial cells

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), which results in vision loss. This study explored the role of miR-126 in high-glucose-induced human retinal endothelial cells (HRECs) and its underlying molecular mechanisms. The results showed that the expression levels of miR-126 and interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in high-glucose-induced HRECs were downregulated and upregulated, respectively. Functionally, overexpression of miR-126 promoted proliferation and suppressed apoptosis in high-glucose-induced HRECs, while IL-17A reversed the effects induced by miR-126. However, overexpression of IL-17A inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis, while knockdown of IL-17A accelerated the proliferation and repressed apoptosis. In addition, miR-126 repressed the expression of IL-17A, Bax, and caspase-3, while promoting the expression of survivin and phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT; restoration of IL-17A rescued these effects. Furthermore, IL-17A was identified as a target of miR-126. This indicates that miR-126 enhances proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in high-glucose-induced HRECs by activating the PI3K-AKT pathway, increasing survivin levels, and decreasing Bax and caspase-3 expression by targeting IL-17A, suggesting that miR-126 could be a novel target for preventing DR.