Long noncoding RNA MANTIS relieved the protein-bound uremic toxin-induced injury on human umbilical vein endothelial cells in chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease.

This study aimed to explore the role of long, noncoding RNA MANTIS in regulating the protein-bound, uremic toxin-induced injury on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The MANTIS expression in patients with normal kidney function, stage 3 CKD, stage 4 CKD and ESRD was detected. In addition, HUVECs were stimulated with various concentrations of HSA-bound P-cresol (20, 40 and 80 μg/ml) and then transfected with pcDNA-MANTIS, sh-MANTIS and their controls to further investigate the effects of MANTIS overexpression and knockdown on HSA-bound P-cresol-induced HUVECs injury. Furthermore, the regulatory relationships between MANTIS and Sox18, as well as between MANTIS and p38 MAPK or p65 NF-κB pathways were elucidated. MANTIS expression was down-regulated in patients with CKD and ESRD and might be associated with disease severity. In addition, HSA-bound P-cresol induced HUVECs injury and decreased MANTIS expression. Overexpression of MANTIS relieved HSA-bound P-cresol induced HUVECs injury by increasing HUVECs viability, migration and invasion, and inhibiting cell autophagy. Moreover, the effects of MANTIS on HSA-bound P-cresol induced HUVECs injury were through positive regulation of Sox18. Besides, MANTIS overexpression markedly inhibited the activation of p38 MAPK and p65 NF-κB pathways in HSA-bound P-cresol-stimulated HUVECs, which were reversed after overexpression of MANTIS and knockdown of Sox18 synchronously. Our findings reveal that lncRNA MANTIS may relieve the protein-bound uremic toxins-induced HUVECs injury in CKD and ESRD via positive regulation of Sox18 and inhibition of p38 MAPK and p65 NF-κB pathways.