circR-6041对阴道润滑障碍的影响及其机制OA

Objective To investigate the role and mechanism of circR-6041 in vaginal epithelial dysfunction based on the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway.Methods A VK2/E6E7 cell model overexpressing circR-6041 was established.Cell migration,invasion,and proliferation capabilities were assessed using wound healing assay,Transwell assay,and CCK-8 assay,respectively.Differen-tially expressed genes(DEGs)were screened after circR-6041 overexpression by transcriptomic sequencing(RNA-seq),and DEGs were analyzed by KEGG.Western blot was employed to detect the expressions of key proteins in the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway.Results Overexpression of circR-6041 significantly enhanced the migration ability of VK2/E6E7 cells(P<0.05),but did not affect the proliferation(P>0.05).Transcriptomic and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that DEGs between circR-6041 overexpression group and control group were significantly enriched in signaling pathways such as MAPK and PI3K-Akt,and cellular components such as extracellular matrix(ECM)and tight junctions.Western blot results demonstrated that circR-6041 overexpression up-regulated the protein expressions of p-MEK1 and p-ERK1/2(P<0.05),total protein levels remained unchanged,and the ratios of p-MEK1/MEK1 and p-ERK1/2/ERK1/2 significantly increased(P<0.05).Conclusion circR-6041 is up-regulated in the vaginal epithelium of patients with lubrication disorders(LD),and circR-6041 can participate in the pathological process of LD by promoting cell migration via the activation of MAPK/ERK signaling pathway.