Correlation between miRNA-124, miRNA-544a, and TNF-α levels in acute spinal cord injury

Abstract

Study design Retrospective. Objectives Acute spinal cord injury (ASCI) is caused by direct or indirect strikes from external forces on the spinal cord. Here, we investigated the correlation between the miR-124, miR-544a, and TNF-α levels in patients with ASCI, aiming to evaluate the potential usage of miR-124 and miR-544a in ASCI diagnosis. Setting University/hospital. Methods A total of 90 (58 male/32 female) ASIA patients and 15 (9 male/6 female) control patients (with acute limb trauma) were involved in the presented study. The ASIA patients were further subclustered based on the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of SCI (ISNCSCI) exam. 30 (18 male/12 female)cases were determined to have complete spinal cord injury (CSCI) and classified as ASIA grade A (Complete); 30 (20 male/10 female) cases were determined to have incomplete spinal cord injury (ISCI) and classified as ASIA grade B (sensory incomplete), C (motor incomplete), or D (motor incomplete); 30 (20 male/10 female) cases were determined to have normal neurological function (NNF) and classified as ASIA grade E (Normal). Plasma miR-124, miRNA-544a, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels were measured from the blood samples collected 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after trauma. Results The levels of miR-124 and miR-544a in the CSCI and ISCI groups were significantly higher than those of the NNF and the control group 24 h after injury (P < 0.05). The increased levels gradually declined from 24 h to 72 h after injury. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) of miR-124, miR-544a and TNF-α 24 h after trauma in patients with acute spinal cord injury were 0.948 [95% CI (0.890, 1.000)], 0.815 [95% CI (0.638, 0.994)] and 0.770 [95% CI (0.641, 0.879)], respectively. Conclusion The miRNA-124 and miRNA-544a levels increased significantly in ASCI patients compared with control patients 24 h after injury. These increased levels gradually reduced from 24 h to 72 h after injury. There is a strong positive correlation between miRNA-124, miRNA-544a, and acute spinal cord injury. Sponsorship The present study was supported by a University-level project of Ningxia Medical University (Project Number: XY2017147).

The role of apoptosis in spinal cord injury: a bibliometric analysis from 1994 to 2023

“…Exosomes from bone marrow-derived MSCs can suppress the NF-κB signaling pathway via increasing miR-23b targeting TLR4, which regulates the oxidative stress process, alleviating the pro-inflammatory responses and apoptosis post SCI and promoting functional recovery of SCI rats ( Nie and Jiang, 2021 ). Additionally, miR-20a, miR-21, miR-223, miR-320, miR-494, miR-497, miR-124, and miR-29b have been demonstrated to participate in the apoptosis post SCI ( Jee et al, 2012 ; He et al, 2015 ; Zhao et al, 2015 ; Bai et al, 2021 ; Huang et al, 2021 ; Ma et al, 2022 ; Malvandi et al, 2022 ). Moreover, miR-20a, miR-124, and miR-133b are implicated in enhancing angiogenesis and promoting neuronal repair post SCI ( Yu et al, 2015 ; Theis et al, 2017 ; Cui et al, 2019 ; Wang T. Y. et al, 2019 ; Danilov et al, 2020 ).…”

MicroRNAs in spinal cord injury: A narrative review

“…Overexpression of miR-223 decreased the protein expression levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1, and regulated the transformation of macrophages between types in injured spinal cords of mice with chronic sciatic nerve injury (Zhu et al, 2021). In addition, were involved in the apoptosis of cells after SCI (Jee et al, 2012b;He et al, 2015;Zhao et al, 2015;Xu et al, 2016;Bai et al, 2021;Huang et al, 2021;Malvandi et al, 2022;Ma et al, 2022a). miR-133b, miR-20a, and miR-124 are involved in promoting angiogenesis and regulating nerve repair after SCI (Yu et al, 2015;Theis et al, 2017;Cui et al, 2019;Wang T. et al, 2019;Danilov et al, 2020).…”

Macrophage polarization in spinal cord injury repair and the possible role of microRNAs: A review

“…However, additional research is required to target its downstream signaling pathways. Additionally, miR-124 is a very sensitive and specific diagnostic marker that can be utilized to promptly identify patients with acute SCI (within 24 h) and start treatment right away [ 148 ].…”