LncRNA CASC11 is upregulated in postmenopausal osteoporosis and is correlated with TNF-α

Abstract

Purpose

In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA cancer susceptibility 11 (CASC11) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) in postmenopausal osteoporosis (POP).

Methods and materials

POP patients and healthy controls were included in this study and levels of CASC11 and TNF-α in plasma of those participants were measured by qPCR and Western blot, respectively. ROC curve was used for diagnostic analysis. Patients were followed up for 2 years and the correlations between the levels of CASC11 and TNF-α and disease conditions were analyzed.

Results

We found that CASC11 and TNF-α were both upregulated in plasma of POP patients than in healthy controls. Plasma levels of CASC11 and TNF-α were positively correlated in both POP patients and in healthy controls. Upregulation of CASC11 and TNF-α distinguished POP patients from healthy controls. Treatment and follow-up study showed that high CASC11 levels were significantly correlated with prolonged treatment course and high recurrence rate. Plasma levels of CASC11 and TNF-α decreased after treatment. CASC11 overexpression led to upregulated TNF-α in osteoclasts.

Conclusion

CASC11 is upregulated in POP and is correlated with TNF-α.

Keywords:

• postmenopausal osteoporosis
• CASC11
• TNF-α
• osteoclasts

Acknowledgment

We thank the financial support from the Common Guiding Project of 2018 Guangzhou Health and Family Planning Commission (20181A011084) and Public Welfare Reseach and Capacity Building Special Project of 2014 Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Department (2014A020212367).

Ethics approval and informed consent

The protocol of the present study was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. All patients signed informed consent.

Author Contributions

Haotao Yu, Wei Zhou, Weiming Yan, Zhongqi Xu, Yinhao Xie and Ping Zhang have made substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, and analysis and interpretation of data. Haotao Yu and Ping Zhang were involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content. Haotao Yu, Wei Zhou, Weiming Yan, Zhongqi Xu, Yinhao Xie and Ping Zhang gave final approval of the version to be published. Each author agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. All authors contributed to data analysis, drafting and revising the article, gave final approval of the version to be published, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.