Circular RNAs have been reported as vital regulators and promising therapeutic targets in multiple human diseases, including atherosclerosis (AS). However, the functional roles of circ_0010283 in AS remain unclear. The real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the expression levels of circ_0010283, microRNA (miR)-377-3p, and cyclin D1 (CCND1) in serum samples. The vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) to establish the in vitro cell model of AS. The 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazol-3-ium bromide and clonal colony-forming assays were performed to assess cell proliferation. The apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry assay. The migration of VSMCs was examined by wound healing and transwell assays. Western blot analysis was used to quantify protein expression. The association among circ_0010283, miR-377-3p, and CCND1 was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. We found that the serum level of circ_0010283 was upregulated in patients with AS and treatment with ox-LDL also increased the expression of circ_0010283 in VSMCs. Treatment with ox-LDL also increased proliferation, migration, and inflammation while inhibited apoptosis in VSMCs, which was overturned by silencing of circ_0010283. Moreover, miR-377-3p was a target of circ_0010283, and downregulation of miR-377-3p counteracted circ_0010283 silencing-induced effects on ox-LDL-stimulated VSMCs. The overexpression of miR-377-3p inhibited proliferation, migration, and inflammation while induced apoptosis of VSMCs by targeting CCND1. CCND1 was a target of miR-377-3p, and circ_0010283 acted as the miR-377-3p sponge to increase CCND1 expression. Circ_0010283 regulated proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and inflammation of ox-LDL-stimulated VSMCs through modulating miR-377-3p and CCND1.
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