Inhibition of miR-17~92 Cluster Ameliorates High Glucose-Induced Podocyte Damage

The loss and damage of podocytes is an early feature of diabetic nephropathy (DN). The miR-17∼92 cluster was dysregulated in diabetic and polycystic kidney disease patients, but its role in DN is unclear. Hence, an in vitro study on the high glucose- (HG-) treated mouse podocytes (MPC5) was designed to elucidate the effect of miR-17∼92 cluster downregulation on cell viability, apoptosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and podocyte function. The results suggested that the miR-17∼92 cluster members miR-17-5p, miR-18a, miR-19a, miR-19b, miR-20a, and miR-92a were upregulated in the renal biopsy tissue of DN patients and HG-treated MPC5. The downregulation of the miR-17∼92 cluster effectively suppressed the cell apoptosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and podocyte dysfunction in HG-stimulated MPC5 cells. The bioinformatics analysis and rescue experiments showed that ABCA1 (ATP-binding cassette transporter A1) is an effector of the miR-17~92 cluster. Silence of ABCA1 inhibited the protective effect of the miR-17∼92 cluster downregulation on podocyte damage. In summary, this research indicated that the downregulation of the miR-17∼92 cluster ameliorates HG-induced podocyte damage via targeting ABCA1.