Circular RNA circ_0029589 controls growth, movement, and cell death in damaged blood vessel muscle cells by affecting the miR-424-5p/IGF2 pathway

Circ_0029589 and IGF2 were found to be upregulated while miR-424-5p was downregulated in vascular smooth muscle cells treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL).

• Silencing circ_0029589 reduced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and increased apoptosis in ox-LDL-treated vascular smooth muscle cells.
• MiR-424-5p was identified as a target of circ_0029589, and its knockdown reversed the effects of circ_0029589 interference on cell behavior.
• IGF2 was found to be a target of miR-424-5p, where its overexpression inhibited apoptosis and promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.
• Circ_0029589 is associated with the regulation of IGF2 expression by acting as a sponge for miR-424-5p.
• These findings suggest that circ_0029589 silence may inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis through the miR-424-5p/IGF2 regulatory axis.

Simplified