MicroRNA-223 Downregulation Promotes HBx-Induced Podocyte Pyroptosis by Targeting the NLRP3 Inflammasome

Abstract Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and its related protein, HBV X (HBx), play an important role in podocyte injury in HBV-associated glomerulonephritis (HBV-GN). MiR-223 is expressed in several diseases, including HBV-associated disease, while nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays a major role in pyroptosis. This study aims to determine the potential function and related mechanism of miR-223 in HBx-induced podocyte pyroptosis. We observed that the results of polymerase chain reaction indicated that miR-223 was downregulated in HBx-transfected podocytes. Transfection of miR-223 mimic eliminated the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome and its related cytokines released by NLRP3 overexpression. Moreover, the transfection of HBx and NLRP3-overexpressing plasmids increased the expression of pyroptosis-related proteins especially in the presence of miR-223 inhibitors. In conclusion, miR-223 downregulation plays an important role in HBx-induced podocyte pyroptosis by targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome, suggesting that miR-223 is a potential therapeutic target for alleviating HBV-GN inflammation.