Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

MiR-126 ameliorates neuropathic pain through suppression of macrophage migration and inflammatory response by targeting EFhd2

Ling Fei, Wei Huang

Department of Neurology, Third People's Hospital of Gansu Province, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province 730000, China;

For correspondence:- Wei Huang Email: huangw63@126.com Tel:+869314907880

Accepted: 30 December 2021 Published: 31 January 2022

Citation: Fei L, Huang W. MiR-126 ameliorates neuropathic pain through suppression of macrophage migration and inflammatory response by targeting EFhd2. Trop J Pharm Res 2022; 21(1):53-60 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v21i1.9

© 2022 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To study the molecular mechanism of miR-126 in partial sciatic nerve ligation-induced neuropathic pain.

Methods: Mice were divided into four groups: sham, partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSL), PSL+miR-negative control (NC) agomir, and PSL+miR-126 agomir. Tactile allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia were tested to evaluate the effect of PSL surgery and miR-126 overexpression on mice in each group. expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β were tested by enzyme-linked immunoassay to verify the anti-inflammatory effects of PSL surgery and miR-126 overexpression. Immunofluorescence staining was applied to investigate macrophage number, whereas quantitative PCR was applied to investigate miR-126 expression levels in each group. J774A.1 macrophage migration was evaluated by Transwell assays after administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and transfection with miR-126 mimics and NC mimics, respectively. Finally, bioinformatics methods and dual-luciferase reporter assays were applied together to ascertain the interaction between miR-126 and EFhd2.

Results: MiR-126 expression was downregulated in the sciatic nerve of neuropathic pain model mice, and miR-126 overexpression alleviated neuropathic pain symptoms. Overexpression of miR-126 inhibited the inflammatory response and migration of macrophages in mice. miR-126 targets and regulates EFhd2 expression level.

Conclusion: MiR-126 suppresses macrophage inflammatory response and migration, and ameliorates PSL-induced neuropathic pain in mice by targeting EFhd2.

Keywords: EF-hand domain-containing protein D2, MicroRNA-126, Macrophage, Neuropathic pain, Partial sciatic nerve ligation