MicroRNA-940 Induces Apoptosis of HTR8-S/Vneo Cells in Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy by Regulating RhoA.

The expression of microRNA is likely to be closely associated with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP). This study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying miR-940/RhoA-induced apoptosis in HTR8-S/Vneo cells in ICP. In this study, 80 pregnant women diagnosed with ICP were recruited, with healthy pregnant women as controls. RT-qPCR was utilized to quantify the expression levels of miR-940 and RhoA. Cell proliferation was evaluated using the CCK-8 assay, while flow cytometry was employed to assess cell apoptosis. The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed the targeting relationship between miR-940 and RhoA. miR-940 expression was significantly elevated in the ICP group. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that miR-940 exhibited high diagnostic accuracy for ICP. Cell proliferation assays indicated that miR-940 negatively regulates cell proliferation. Apoptosis experiments revealed that low levels of miR-940 inhibited apoptosis. The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-940 targeted RhoA, establishing a negative correlation between them. The reversed experiment demonstrated that while the downregulation of miR-940 promoted cell proliferation and inhibited apoptosis, these effects were partially reversed when RhoA expression was suppressed. In conclusion, miR-940 played a crucial role in regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis, and it held potential as a therapeutic target for inhibiting the apoptosis of HTR8-S/Vneo cells in ICP.