LncRNA Gm44206 Promotes Microglial Pyroptosis Through NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD Axis and Aggravate Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Inhibition of the inflammatory response triggered by microglial pyroptosis inflammatory activation may be one of the effective ways to alleviate cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury, the specific mechanism of which remains unclear. In this study, BV-2 microglia with or without oxygen–glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) or long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) Gm44206 knockdown were used as cell models to conduct an in vitro study. Detection of lactate dehydrogenase release and pyroptosis-related protein levels was performed using a corresponding kit and western blotting, respectively. Proliferation of microglia was evaluated by CCK8 assay. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied for measuring levels of proinflammatory cytokines. This study verified the involvement of microglial pyroptosis as well as upregulation of NLRP3, Caspase-1, GSDMD, and Apoptosis-associated Speck-like protein containing a C-terminal caspase-recruitment domain (ASC) in cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury. Moreover, knockdown of lncRNA Gm44206 could alleviate OGD/R-induced microglial pyroptosis and cell proliferation inhibition through the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway, thus decreasing the release of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. In conclusion, this study established a correlation between microglial pyroptosis and cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury and identified lncRNA Gm44206 as a potential regulator of NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD axis-mediated microglial pyroptosis, which could be considered a promising therapeutic target.