Abstract:Objective To study the effect of microrna-205-5p (mir-205-5p) targeting high mobility group protein B1/toll like receptor 4 (HMGB1/TLR4) pathway on immune function of allergic rhinitis (AR).Methods Sixty male rats were selected and divided into normal control group (group A), AR group (group B), AR+miR-205-5p agomir group (group C), AR+miR-205-5p antagomir group (group D) with 15 rats in each group. The rats of group A did not receive any treatment, while those of group B, C, and D were sensitized with ovalbumin nasal enhancement sensitization to establish AR model. After model establishment, 300 μg of miR-205-5p agomir and miR-205-5p antagomir were injected into the tail of rats of group C and group D respectively, and normal saline into both group A and group B. One week later, the behavioral, immune-related indexes[including interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-10 (IL-10), immunoglobulin E (IgE)], nasal mucosal inflammatory response, tight junctions between epithelial cells, endoplasmic reticulum morphology and expressions of tight junction proteins, HMGB1/TLR4 pathway proteins were evaluated. The targeting relationship between miR-205-5p and TLR4 was analyzed using a dual-luciferase reporter assay.Results The orders from lowest to highest of behavioral score, expression levels of IL-4, IgE, HMGB1, TLR4, and NF-κB as well as tight junction width were group A, group B, group C and group D. The orders from lowest to highest of expression levels of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-10 and tight junction protein were group D, group C, group B and group A, and their differences among different groups were all statistically significant (all P<0.05).The dual-luciferase reporter results indicated that miR-205-5p could target TLR4.Conclusion miR-205-5p can target the HMGB1/TLR4 pathway to inhibit the AR immune disorder caused by Th1/Th2 imbalance, strengthen the barrier function of the nasal mucosa, thereby reducing the invasion of allergens, relieving AR-related symptoms, and having a positive effect on the treatment of AR.