Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been demonstrated to play crucial roles in the development and progression of various types of cancers by serving as microRNA sponges to regulate the expression of target genes. Although in-depth studies of circRNAs have been conducted, their functional and pathological significance in autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), remains unclear. Our previous study verified that hsa_circ_0088036 (circ0088036) is significantly elevated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with RA. The present study aimed to explore the roles of circ0088036 in the pathogenesis of RA. The circ0088036/miR-140−3p/silent information regulator 1 (SIRT 1) axis was predicted by bioinformatics tools. Circ0088036 was found to be aberrantly upregulated in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) in RA compared with FLSs in osteoarthritis (OA). Functionally, upregulated circ0088036 promoted the proliferation and migration of RA-FLSs. Mechanistically, circ0088036 acted as a miR-140−3p sponge to upregulate SIRT 1 expression, subsequently promoting RA progression. In conclusion, this study revealed that circ0088036 may play an essential role in promoting synovial pathogenesis via the circ0088036/miR-140−3p/SIRT 1 axis in RA, providing new insight into circRNAs during RA progression.

环状RNA（circRNA）通过充当microRNA海绵来调节靶基因的表达，已在各种类型的癌症的发生和发展中发挥关键作用。尽管已对circRNA进行了深入研究，但尚不清楚其在自身免疫性疾病（包括类风湿性关节炎（RA））中的功能和病理意义。我们之前的研究证实，RA患者的外周血单个核细胞中的hsa_circ_0088036（circ0088036）显着升高。本研究旨在探讨circ0088036在RA发病中的作用。circ0088036 / miR-140-3p /沉默信息调节器1（SIRT 1）轴是由生物信息学工具预测的。与骨关节炎（OA）中的FLSs相比，发现RA中成纤维样滑膜细胞（FLSs）中Circ0088036异常上调。在功能上，circ0088036的上调促进了RA-FLS的增殖和迁移。从机理上讲，circ0088036充当miR-140-3p海绵以上调SIRT 1表达，从而促进RA进展。总之，这项研究表明，circ0088036可能通过RA中的circ0088036 / miR-140-3p / SIRT 1轴在促进滑膜发病中起重要作用，从而为RA进展过程中circRNA提供了新的见识。