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

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.