Apigenin reduces the suppressive effect of exosomes derived from irritable bowel syndrome patients on the autophagy of human colon epithelial cells by promoting ATG14

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBS) is a chronic disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Exosomes have been involved in various pathological processes including IBS. Apigenin has been reported to suppress inflammatory bowel disease (IBS). However, the regulatory roles of exosomes derived from IBS patients (IBS-exos) on human colon epithelial cells are still unclear. METHODS: Exosomes were collected from IBS patients (IBS-exos) and co-cultured with CACO-2 cells. Apigenin was used to treat IBS-exos-treated CACO-2 cells. By exploring the public data bank, we figured out the regulators control the autophagy of CACO-2 cells. RESULTS: Administration of apigenin dose-dependently abolished the inhibitory effect of IBS-exo on the autophagy of CACO-2 cells. A mechanistic study showed that miR-148b-3p bound to 3′UTR to suppress ATG14 and decrease autophagy. Moreover, results suggested that ATG14 overexpression promoted the autophagy of CACO-2 cells in the presence of miR-148b-3p mimic. CONCLUSION: The current study showed that apigenin dose-dependently abolished the inhibitory effect of IBS-exo on CACO-2 cell autophagy by regulating miR-148b-3p/ATG14 signaling.