The incidence of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is increasing. Accumulating evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in HPH, but the functions and mechanism have yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, we established an HPH rat model with 8 h of hypoxia exposure (10% O2) per day for 21 days. High-throughput sequencing identified 60 differently expressed (DE) lncRNAs, 20 DE miRNAs and 695 DE mRNAs in rat lung tissue. qRT-PCR verified the accuracy of the results. Immune response, inflammatory response, leukocyte migration, cell cycle, cellular response to interleukin-1, IL-17 signalling pathway, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction and Toll-like receptor signalling pathway were significantly enriched in DE mRNAs. According to the theory of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks, lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed by Cytoscape software, including 7 lncRNAs, 16 miRNAs and 144 mRNAs. The results suggested that seven DE lncRNAs (Ly6l, AABR07038849.2, AABR07069008.2, AABR07064873.1, AABR07001382.1, AABR07068161.1 and AABR07060341.2) could serve as molecular sponges of the corresponding miRNAs and play a major role in HPH.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a newly identified type of noncoding RNA molecule with a unique closed-loop structure. circRNAs are widely expressed in different tissues and developmental stages of many species, participating in many important pathophysiological processes and playing an important role in the occurrence and development of diseases. This article reviews the discovery, characteristics, formation, and biological function of circRNAs. The relationship between circRNAs and vascular remodelling, as well as the current status of research and potential application value in pulmonary hypertension (PH), is discussed to promote a better understanding of the role of circRNAs in PH. circRNAs are closely related to the remodelling of vascular endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. circRNAs have potential application prospects for in-depth research on the possible pathogenesis and mechanism of PH. Future research on the role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis and mechanism of PH will provide new insights and promote screening, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of this disease.

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