Lichen extracts regulate the expression of BMP7 via miR-194-5p targeting to decrease the risk atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common cardiac supraventricular arrhythmia, affects more than 5 million people worldwide. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of AF, and multiple genes responsible for AF have been identified. A better understanding of the genetic mechanism underlying AF would be expected to lead to more accurate risk stratification of AF and optimal clinical treatment strategies.

Immunofluorescence staining was performed to find the components which would have effects on the H9c2 cells development. The changes of BMP7 and miR-194-5p expressions were detected before and after Human Cardiac Myocytes (HCM) were treated with Lichen extraction. In order to confirm whether Lichen could increase the expression of BMP7 through inhibiting the expression of miR-194-5p, the mRNA levels of BMP7 and miR-194-5p were determined in HCM before and after the treatment of Lichen on the conditions that miR-194-5p was over-expressed or not.

After 48 hours' treatment with 20 µg/mL Lichen extracts, the Collagen I expression level significantly decreased. The expressions of several genes in H9c2 cells could were changed after the treatment of Lichen extracts and some mRNA of them could also be targeted by miR-194-5p including BMP7. Lichen could depress the expression of miR-194-5p in HCM no matter miR-194-5p was overexpressed or not and correspondingly, the expression of BMP7 could be increased in both conditions.

It is indicated that Lichen extracts could regulate the expression of atrial fibrillation-associated genes via miR-194-5a targeting.