Cholesterol efflux from macrophages is a critical mechanism to prevent the development of atherosclerosis. Although PPAR gamma is known to be a potent sterol sensor that play a fundamental role in cholesterol metabolism, the potential effects of PPAR gamma responsive miRNA still need to be revealed. In this study, we found that miR-613 is inversely correlated with LXR alpha and ABCA1 in PPAR gamma activated THP-1 cells. PPAR gamma negatively regulates the expression of miR-613 at transcriptional level, and miR-613 suppressed LXR alpha and ABCA1 by targeting the 3'-UTR of their mRNAs. Furthermore, downregulation of LXR alpha and ABCA1 by miR-613 inhibited cholesterol efflux from PPAR gamma activated THP-1 macrophages. These results revealed an alternative mechanism for PPAR gamma regulation and provided a potential target for the treatment of cholesterol metabolic diseases. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Inc.