MicroRNAs in spinal cord injury: A narrative review

Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 2023 · DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1099256 · Published: February 2, 2023

Simple Explanation

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious medical condition that often leads to disability and high mortality rates because current diagnostic and treatment methods are lacking. Gene expression, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), plays a vital role in SCI repair by regulating mRNA expression to influence protein synthesis. After a spinal cord injury, secondary damage occurs, including oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and inflammation. Differentially expressed miRNAs contribute to these secondary events, affecting the extent of damage and recovery potential. This review explores the pathophysiological mechanisms of miRNAs in secondary injury following SCI, emphasizing their role in neuroinflammation. Understanding these mechanisms could provide new insights and bases for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and potential biomarker development for spinal cord injuries.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

Not specified

Evidence Level

Review

Key Findings

1
miRNAs regulate the expression of proteins altered after SCI by up-regulating or down-regulating target genes, influencing processes like inflammatory response, angiogenesis, and axon regeneration.
2
Specific miRNAs, such as miR-155, miR-195, miR-203 and miR-124 are involved in neuropathic pain mechanisms after SCI by regulating neuroinflammation, autophagy, and glial cell activity.
3
miRNAs such as miR-133b, miR-20a, miR-124, and miR-210 promote angiogenesis, regulate nerve repair, and protect the blood-spinal cord barrier after SCI, indicating their therapeutic potential.

Research Summary

This review discusses the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in spinal cord injury (SCI), emphasizing their involvement in secondary injury mechanisms like neuroinflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. The authors highlight the potential of miRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for SCI. The paper explores specific miRNAs involved in neuropathic pain, neuronal repair, axon regeneration, and vascular regeneration after SCI. It presents evidence that manipulating miRNA expression can influence these processes and potentially improve outcomes after SCI. The review also addresses the challenges and perspectives of miRNA-based therapy for SCI, including the need for accurate delivery methods to minimize off-target effects and the importance of considering sex-specific differences in miRNA responses. The authors call for further research and clinical trials to validate the clinical significance of miRNA therapy.

Practical Implications

Diagnostic Biomarkers

miRNAs could serve as novel blood-based biomarkers for SCI, facilitating early and accurate diagnosis, surpassing the limitations of current methods like MRI and clinical scales.

Therapeutic Targets

Targeting specific miRNAs could offer new therapeutic strategies to modulate secondary injury pathways, promote neuroregeneration, and alleviate neuropathic pain after SCI.

Personalized Medicine

Understanding sex-specific differences in miRNA responses could lead to personalized treatment approaches, optimizing the effectiveness of miRNA-based therapies for individual patients.

Study Limitations

1
Off-target effects due to the rapid degradation of miRNAs and interactions between miRNAs and target genes.
2
Influence of sex on miRNA responses, which may affect experimental results and clinical translation.
3
Limited verification of specific miRNA–target gene interactions in broad-spectrum studies.

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Spinal Cord Injury