Long non-coding RNA RPL34-AS1 ameliorates oxygen–glucose deprivation-induced neuronal injury via modulating miR-223–3p/IGF1R axis

Ribosomal protein L34-antisense RNA 1 (RPL34-AS1), one of the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), plays an important function in regulating diverse human malignant tumors. Nevertheless, the functions of RPL34-AS1 in ischemic stroke remain unclear. The present work focused on determining the candidate targets of RPL34-AS1 and its related mechanism in ischemic injury. The oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD/R) in vitro cell model and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in vivo rat model were utilized to simulate the pathological process of ischemic stroke. Additionally, the CCK8, WB (detecting Bcl-2 and Bax protein levels), and caspase-3 activity assays were done to investigate the anti-apoptotic functions of RPL34-AS1. The relationship among RPL34-AS1, insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), and microRNA-223-3p (miR-223-3p) was determined through luciferase reporter assay. In this study, RPL34-AS1 expression was reduced in patients suffering from ischemic stroke. The overexpression of RPL34-AS1 reduced ischemic brain damage. However, the cell viability and glucose uptake were increased, and the apoptosis rate was decreased in the OGD/R-induced neurons. Further, miR-223-3p resulted in the decreased cell viability and glucose uptake and the increased cell apoptosis to cause ischemic brain damage. Besides, the neuroprotective effects of RPL34-AS1 on OGD/R injury were partly reversed by miR-223–3p. Mechanistically, lncRNA RPL34-AS1 could function as the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR-223-3p to regulate IGF1R. Collectively, our study demonstrated that lncRNA RPL34-AS1 attenuated OGD/R-induced neuronal injury by mediating miR-223-3p/IGF1R axis. This discovery might serve as the candidate therapeutic target for ischemic stroke.