Downregulation of microRNA-200c-3p alleviates the aggravation of venous thromboembolism by targeting serpin family C member 1

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third most prevalent cardiovascular complication. Increasing studies have demonstrated that some microRNAs (miRNAs) are aberrantly expressed in VTE and play crucial roles in mediating the development of VTE. Therefore, our study intends to explore the detailed function and molecular mechanism of miR-200c-3p in VTE progression. In our research, VTE rat models were first established via inferior vena cava (IVC) ligation and the time-dependent effects of IVC ligation on thrombus formation were discovered. The results of reverse transcription quantitative polymerase-chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blotting showed that serpin family C member 1 (SERPINC1) was downregulated in VTE rat models and showed an inverse correlation with thrombus load. MiRNA target prediction tools and luciferase reporter assay confirmed SERPINC1 as a target for miR-200c-3p. VTE rats were injected with miR-200c-3p inhibitor for 24 h to investigate whether miR-200c-3p knockdown influences thrombus formation in vivo. Histological examination through hematoxylin-eosin staining revealed that miR-200c-3p downregulation markedly inhibited the formation of thrombus in IVC of rats. Additionally, miR-200c-3p was upregulated while SERPINC1 was downregulated in serum and inferior vena cava of VTE rats as well as in plasma of patients with VTE. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that miR-200c-3p expression was negatively correlated to SERPINC1 expression in VTE rats and patients with VTE. Our study determines the previously unelucidated function of miR-200c-3p in VTE, which might provide a potential novel insight for the treatment of VTE.