Quercetin Can Inhibit Angiogenesis via the Down Regulation of MALAT1 and MIAT LncRNAs in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

Angiogenesis is an important step in cancer metastasis since it enables the growing tumor to receive nutrients and oxygen. Quercetin is a generic flavonoid and has been investigated for its ability to inhibit angiogenesis in different types of cancers. MALAT1 and MIAT lncRNAs are associated with the angiogenesis process. MALAT1 induces hypoxia‑driven angiogenesis via the overexpression of angiogenic genes. Down regulation of MIAT1 could inhibit the proliferation of endothelial cells, tube formation, and migration. In this study, we assessed the anti‑angiogenic activity of quercetin on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) via the expression of MALAT1 and MIAT genes.

In the present study, HUVEC cells were incubated with various concentrations of quercetin for 24, 48, and 72 h. Cell proliferation was then evaluated by MTT assay. RNA was extracted by TRIzol and cDNA synthesis. The expression levels of MALAT1 and MIAT genes relative to the GAPDH gene were quantified using the highly sensitive real‑time PCR method.

Our results demonstrated that quercetin has an inhibitory impact on the cell viability of HUVEC cells. The IC50 values of quercetin after 24, 48, and 72 h were 282.05 µΜ, 228.25 µΜ, and 131.65 µΜ, respectively. The MALAT1/GAPDH ratio was computed as 0.21 for 24h, 0.18 for 48h, and 0.29 for 72 h. The MIAT/GAPDH ratio was computed as 0.82 for 24h, 0.84 for 48h, and 0.78 for 72 h.

In conclusion, quercetin treatment had an anti‑angiogenic effect on HUVEC cells, at least partially via the down regulation of MALAT1 and MIAT LncRNAs gene expression.