Exosomal miR-191 promotes colorectal cancer progression by inducing M2 macrophage polarization and inhibiting ferroptosis

Figure 5 Inhibition of exosomal miR-191 colorectal cancer cells enhance reactive oxygen species production, ferroptosis, and apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells through accelerating ferroptosis in macrophages. A: Colorectal cancer (CRC) cells were exposed to exosomes from CRC cells and cocultured with miR-191-inhibitor and/or ferrostatin-1-treated macrophages; Expression of miR-191 in CRC cells was evaluated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; B: Level of reactive oxygen species was measured via flow cytometry in CRC cells; C: Western blotting showed the changes in SLC7A11 and GPX4 expressions in CRC cells; D: Apoptosis was measured by TUNEL assay. ^aP < 0.05. ^bP < 0.01. ^cP < 0.001. ^dP < 0.0001. CRC: Colorectal cancer; NC: Negative control; ROS: Reactive oxygen species; GAPDH: Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.