Long non-coding RNA ANRIL-mediated inflammation response is involved in protective effect of rhein in uric acid nephropathy rats

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) in anti-inflammation of rhein in uric acid nephropathy (UAN) rats. METHODS: Rat models of UAN were induced by adenine and potassium oxonate. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to assess inflammation factor in serum and supernatant. ANRIL mRNA level was detected using real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Immunostaining was used to observe pathological changes of renal tissues in rats. RESULTS: ANRIL and inflammatory factor levels were highly expressed in patient with UAN. Furthermore, rhein showed an observable effect on anti-inflammatory and renal protection in UAN rats, rhein inhibited expressions of ANRIL in vivo or in vitro. Besides, ANRIL-mediated inflammatory response attenuated protective effect of rhein. CONCLUSIONS: ANRIL-mediated inflammatory response attenuated the protective effect of rhein in UAN rats. This study showed an understanding of the role and mechanism of ANRIL in UAN, which provides a new target and therapy for the prevention and treatment of UAN. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13578-019-0273-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.