Serum lncRNA THRIL predicts benign and malignant pulmonary nodules and promotes the progression of pulmonary malignancies

BACKGROUND: This project aimed to research the significance of THRIL in the diagnosis of benign and malignant solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) and to investigate the role of THRIL/miR-99a in malignant SPNs. METHODS: The study groups consisted of 169 patients with SPN and 74 healthy subjects. The differences in THRIL levels were compared between the two groups and the healthy group. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was utilized to analyze the THRIL’s significance in detecting benign and malignant SPN. Pearson correlation and binary regression coefficients represented the association between THRIL and SPN. CCK-8 assay, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry were utilized to detect the regulatory effect of THRIL silencing. The interaction between THRIL, miR-99a, and IGF1R was confirmed by the double luciferase reporter gene. RESULTS: There were differences in THRIL expression in the healthy group, benign SPN group, and malignant SPN group. High accuracy of THRIL in the diagnosis of benign SPN and malignant SPN was observed. THRIL was associated with the development of SPN. The expression of THRIL was upregulated and miR-99a was downregulated in lung cancer cells. The double luciferase report experiment confirmed the connections between THRIL/miR-99a/IGF1R. Silencing THRIL could suppress cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promote cell apoptosis by binding miR-99a. CONCLUSION: The detection of THRIL in serum is useful for the assessment of malignant SPN. THRIL can regulate the expression of IGF1R through miR-99a, thereby promoting the growth of lung cancer cells and inhibiting apoptosis.