lncRNA uc.48+ regulates immune and inflammatory reactions mediated by the P2X₇ receptor in type 2 diabetic mice

Diabetes and non-coding RNAs are receiving increasing attention in contemporary medical research. The present study aimed to explore the role of the long non-coding RNA uc.48+ in the pathological changes of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) by observing the effects of uc.48+ small interfering RNA (siRNA) on the abdominal cells of a mouse model of T2DM. Mice with T2DM (DM group) were established by feeding with a high-sugar and -fat diet combined with intraperitoneal injections of low-dose streptozotocin. An intraperitoneal injection of uc.48+ siRNA was administered to the diabetic mice, and the serum levels of cytokines together with other clinical parameters, namely blood pressure, heart rate, mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were examined. Following the collection and identification of abdominal cells from the mice, the mRNA levels of uc.48+, mRNA and protein levels of the P2X₇ receptor, and phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 were evaluated by reverse transcription-PCR and western blotting, respectively. The MWT and TWL were significantly decreased in the DM group compared with the non-diabetic control group. However, the reductions in MWT and TWL were significantly attenuated following uc.48+ siRNA injection. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 1β of mice in the DM group were significantly increased compared with those in the control group, whereas these changes were significantly attenuated following the injection of uc.48+ siRNA. In addition, the expression levels of P2X₇ receptor mRNA and protein, and the degree of phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in the abdominal cells were significantly increased in the DM group compared with the control group. These changes were also significantly attenuated following transfection with uc.48+ siRNA in vivo. In conclusion, these data suggest that uc.48+ may play an important role in the pathological changes of blood pressure, neurology and abdominal cell function in T2DM via interaction with the P2X₇ receptor.