MiR-212-5p exerts a protective effect in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory tract disease with an incompletely understood pathogenesis. According to previous reports, miRNAs play a crucial pathophysiological role in COPD. MiR-212 was reported to be downregulated in COPD patients; however, the role of miR-212 in COPD remains unknown. In this study, the expression level of miR-212-5p and miR-223 decreased significantly in COPD patients compared to healthy controls. In vitro experiments showed that cigarette smoke extract (CSE) induced NCI-H292 cell apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation. Inflammation and COPD related genes were also upregulated by CSE, while miR-212-5p inhibited the overexpression of these genes. Furthermore, miR-212-5p promoted cell proliferation and inhibited IGFBP3 expression which was induced by CSE. The expression of p-Akt was also inhibited by CSE, while miR-212-5p significantly promoted the phosphorylation of Akt. In summary, our data suggest that miR-212-5p exerts a protective effect in COPD, and may serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for COPD.