LncRNA loc105377478 promotes NPs-Nd2O3-induced inflammation in human bronchial epithelial cells through the ADIPOR1/NF-κB axis

Abstract With the wide application of neodymium oxide nanoparticles (NPs-Nd2O3) in various fields, their health hazards have aroused public concern in recent years. However, data regarding the cytotoxicity of NPs-Nd2O3 is limited. In this study, we investigated the function and mechanism of long-chain non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in NPs-Nd2O3-induced airway inflammation. Treatment with NPs-Nd2O3 induced an inflammatory response in human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) by upregulating the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8). The levels of LDH and intracellular ROS in the cells treated by various doses of NPs-Nd2O3 also increased significantly. After treatment with 10 μg/ml NPs-Nd2O3, RNA microarray and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) showed a significant upregulation of lncRNA loc105377478. Functional experiments suggested lncRNA loc105377478 enhanced the expression of IL-6, IL-8 and ROS in NPs-Nd2O3-treated 16HBE cells, and it was further demonstrated that lncRNA loc105377478 promoted the activation of NF-κB by negatively regulating ADIPOR1 expression. Moreover, the expression of IL-6 and IL-8 in NPs-Nd2O3-treated 16HBE cells was regulated by lncRNA loc105377478, which was mediated by the NF-κB signaling pathway. In conclusion, lncRNA loc105377478 promotes NF-κB activation by negatively regulating ADIPOR1 expression, thereby upregulating the expression of IL-6 and IL-8 in 16HBE cells treated with NPs-Nd2O3.