MicroRNA Biology and Pain

Regulation of proinflammatory genes by the circulating microRNA hsa-miR-939

“…The source of miR-939 in circulation is currently unknown. Extracellular miRNAs may be present in circulation bound to argonaute proteins, or they may be transported in exosomes 35 . Exosomal composition is unique to disease and the specificity of molecular signature observed in biomolecular cargo can be explored for its biomarker utility.…”

“…This will be key in understanding if impaired uptake and thus signaling is an underlying disease mechanism in CRPS. From a biomarker perspective, most of the studies reporting alterations in circulating miRNAs for neuropathic conditions had limited cohort size 35 38 . Validating the findings in bodily fluids or purified exosomes from a larger number of patients is required to determine whether miRNA could be a useful biomarker for both patient stratification and predicting treatment response.…”

Overview of microRNA Modulation in Analgesic Research

“…For example, drug modulation of miRNA may regulate downstream effectors responsible for the therapeutic effects of a drug. Studies examining alterations in miRNA expression in tissue samples collected from rodent models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain suggest a role for miRNAs in mediating pain (McDonald & Ajit, ). It has been found that miRNAs target key regulators of pain processing, such as mu opioid receptors (Hwang, Wagley, Law, Wei, & Loh, ), γ‐aminobutyric acid‐α1 (GABA α1 ) (Sengupta et al., ), cyclooxygenase 2 (N. Akhtar & Haqqi, ), transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) (X. Li et al., ), and multiple Na + and Ca 2+ channels (Favereaux et al., ; von Schack et al., ).…”

“…It has been found that miRNAs target key regulators of pain processing, such as mu opioid receptors (Hwang, Wagley, Law, Wei, & Loh, ), γ‐aminobutyric acid‐α1 (GABA α1 ) (Sengupta et al., ), cyclooxygenase 2 (N. Akhtar & Haqqi, ), transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) (X. Li et al., ), and multiple Na + and Ca 2+ channels (Favereaux et al., ; von Schack et al., ). Moreover, modulating several miRNAs has been found effective in attenuating or preventing pain (Huang et al., ; McDonald & Ajit, ). The miRNA expression profiles are altered in several pain‐related disorders, including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) (Orlova et al., ), fibromyalgia (Bjersing, Lundborg, Bokarewa, & Mannerkorpi, ), migraine (Andersen, Duroux, & Gazerani, ; Tafuri et al., ), osteoarthritis (Beyer et al., ), and rheumatoid arthritis (Pauley et al., ).…”

“…Li et al, 2011), and multiple Na + and Ca 2+ channels (Favereaux et al, 2011;von Schack et al, 2011). Moreover, modulating several miRNAs has been found effective in attenuating or preventing pain (Huang et al, 2016;McDonald & Ajit, 2015). The miRNA expression profiles are altered in several pain-related disorders, including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) (Orlova et al, 2011), fibromyalgia (Bjersing, Lundborg, Bokarewa, & Mannerkorpi, 2013), migraine (Andersen, Duroux, & Gazerani, 2016;Tafuri et al, 2015), osteoarthritis (Beyer et al, 2015), and rheumatoid arthritis (Pauley et al, 2008).…”