Paeoniflorin Suppresses Rheumatoid Arthritis Development via Modulating the Circ-FAM120A/miR-671-5p/MDM4 Axis

Paeoniflorin is an active ingredient derived from Paeonia, which has an anti-inflammatory effect. However, the potential role and basis of paeoniflorin in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are indistinct. Cell viability, cycle distribution, migration, and invasion were evaluated via Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), flow cytometry, and transwell assays. The contents of inflammatory cytokines were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RNA expression levels were determined via qRT-PCR and western blot. The targeting relationship between miR-671-5p and circ-FAM120A (hsa_circ_0003972) or murine double minute 4 (MDM4) was validated via dual-luciferase reporter assay. Paeoniflorin restrained proliferation, migration, invasion, and inflammation and accelerated cell cycle arrest in RA fibroblast–like synoviocytes (RA-FLSs). Circ-FAM120A was boosted in RA synovial tissues and RA-FLSs. Circ-FAM120A upregulation, miR-671-5p knockdown, or MDM4 augmentation reversed the repressive effect of paeoniflorin on RA-FLS progression. Moreover, paeoniflorin attenuated RA-FLS progression by regulating the circ-FAM120A/miR-671-5p/MDM4 axis. Paeoniflorin inhibited RA-FLS proliferation, mobility, and inflammation and triggered cell cycle arrest via mediating the circ-FAM120A/miR-671-5p/MDM4 pathway.