Research Paper Volume 13, Issue 23 pp 25408—25425
lncRNA CASC7 regulates pathological progression of ox-LDL-stimulated atherosclerotic cell models via sponging miR-21 and regulating PI3K/Akt and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathways
Figure 2. CASC7 inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of VSMC and suppresses inflammatory responses of HUVEC. (A, B) qRT-PCR was carried out to measure CASC7 levels within ox-LDL-treated HUVEC and VSMC. (C) Expression of CASC7 in VSMC and HUVEC was determined with qRT-PCR. (D, E) Cell viability was evaluated by CCK-8 assays. (F, G). Flow cytometry was performed to analyze apoptosis in HUVEC and VSMC. (H–J) Caspase-3 and Bcl-2 protein expression was measured through Western blot assays. (K, L) Transwell assays were performed to evaluate cell invasion. (M, N) ELISA was conducted to detect expression of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β. Typical images for HUVEC and VSMC (400×) are presented. Results are expressed as mean ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.