MiR-150 is involved into some pathological processes, such as tumorigenesis and autoimmune diseases. However, little is known about the involvement of miR-150 in human sepsis. In this study, plasma miR-150 level had a diagnostic and independent prognostic value in patients with sepsis, and negatively correlated with renal dysfunction and 28-day survival as well as plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). MiR-150 expression was also significantly decreased in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and C57BL/6 mice with sepsis after lipopolysaccharides (LPS) treatment. In-vitro, miR-150 over-expression protected HUVECs from LPS-induced apoptosis and the expressions of nuclear factor-kappa B1 (NF-kappa B1), IL-6, TNF-alpha, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin. Furthermore, NF-kappa B1 was identified as a direct target of miR-150. Restored NF-kappa B1 expression antagonized the protective effects of miR-150, while suppression of NF-kappa B1 enhanced these protective effects. Our findings indicate miR-150 predicts survival in patients with sepsis and inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory factors and apoptosis by targeting NF-kappa B1 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Thus, miR-150 may be a useful biomarker or target in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of patients with sepsis. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.