LncRNA FAS-AS1 promotes the degradation of extracellular matrix of cartilage in osteoarthritis

J.-K. Zhu, T.-D. He, Z.-X. Wei, Y.-M. Wang

Department of Orthopedics, The First People’s Hospital of Changzhou, Changzhou, China.

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• Orthopedics

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) FAS-AS1 in osteoarthritis cartilage and to explore its effect on articular cartilage cells.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 20 tissue samples of primary knee joint osteoarthritis and 20 tissue samples of knee joint cartilage after traumatic amputation were collected. Fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to detect the expression of FAS-AS1, MMP1, MMP13, and COL2A1 in cartilage. FAS-AS1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) was transfected to chondrocytes transiently to observe its effects on proliferation, apoptosis of chondrocytes, and the expressions of MMP1, MMP13, and COL2A1.

RESULTS: The expressions of FAS-AS1, MMP1, and MMP13 in osteoarthritis tissues increased significantly, while COL2A1 presented a low expression. Reducing the expression of FAS-AS1 inhibited cell apoptosis and promote cell proliferation. Additionally, in vitro experiments showed that low expression of FAS-AS1 decreased the expressions of MMP1 and MMP13, but increased the expression of COL2A1.

CONCLUSIONS: The expression of FAS-AS1 was increased in osteoarthritis, and FAS-AS1 could be involved in the development of the disease by regulating the proliferation, apoptosis of chondrocytes and promoting the degradation of extracellular matrix.

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