LncRNA uc.48Â + siRNA improved diabetic sympathetic neuropathy in type 2 diabetic rats mediated by P2X7 receptor in SCG

•Upregulation of SCG P2X7 in diabetic autonomic neuropathy•Upregulated P2X7 was accompanied with the elevated lncRNA uc.48 + in SCG.•Uc.48 + siRNA decreased P2X7 and ERK1/2 upregulated expression.•Uc.48 + siRNA protected diabetic cardiovascular complications via decreasing P2X7.

Diabetic autonomic neuropathy includes the sympathetic ganglionic dysfunction. P2X7 receptor in superior cervical ganglia (SCG) participated in the pathological changes of cardiac dysfunction. Abnormal expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) was reported to be involved in nervous system diseases. Our preliminary results obtained from rat lncRNA array profiling revealed that the expression of the uc.48 + was significantly increased in the rat SCG in response to diabetic sympathetic pathology. In this study, we found that lncRNAuc.48 + and P2X7 receptor in the SCG were increased in type 2 diabetic rats and were associated with the cardiac dysfunction. The uc.48 + small interference RNA (siRNA) improved the cardiac autonomic dysfunction and decreased the up-regulation P2X7 and the ratio of phosphorylated extracellular regulated protein kinases1/2 (p-ERK1/2) to ERK1/2 in SCG of type 2 diabetic rats. In conclusion, lncRNA uc.48 + siRNA improved diabetic sympathetic neuropathy in type 2 diabetic rats through regulating the expression of P2X7 and ERK signaling in SCG.