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Almurshidi et al. Neuroimmunol Neuroinflammation 2019;6:11 Neuroimmunology
DOI: 10.20517/2347-8659.2019.19 and Neuroinflammation

Review Open Access

Roles of miRNAs in spinal cord injury and potential
therapeutic interventions

Badria Almurshidi , Wayne Carver , Geoff Scott , Swapan K. Ray 3
1
2
1
1 Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, CENR, University of South Carolina, Columbia,
SC 29209, USA.
2 Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29209, USA.
3 Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
29209, USA.
Correspondence to: Dr. Swapan K. Ray, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University
of South Carolina, Building 2, Room C11, 6439 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, SC 29209, USA. E-mail: swapan.ray@uscmed.sc.edu

How to cite this article: Almurshidi B, Carver W, Scott G, Ray SK. Roles of miRNAs in spinal cord injury and potential therapeutic
interventions. Neuroimmunol Neuroinflammation 2019;6:11. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2347-8659.2019.19

Received: 29 May 2019 First Decision: 17 Jul 2019 Revised: 12 Sep 2019 Accepted: 11 Oct 2019 Published: 17 Oct 2019
Science Editor: Athanassios P. Kyritsis Copy Editor: Cai-Hong Wang Production Editor: Jing Yu

Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects approximately 200,000 individuals per year worldwide. There are more than 27
million people worldwide living with long-term disability due to SCI. Historically, it was thought that the central
nervous system (CNS) had little ability for regeneration; however, more recent studies have demonstrated potential
for repair within the CNS. Because of this, there exists a renewed interest in the discovery of novel approaches
to promote regeneration in the CNS including the spinal cord. It is important to know the roles of the microRNAs
(miRNAs) in modulation of pathogenesis in SCI and the potentials of the miRNA-based clinical interventions for
controlling post-injury symptoms and improving functional recovery. The miRNAs, which are non-coding RNAs
with an average of 22 nucleotides in length, are post-transcriptional gene regulators that cause degradation of
the target mRNAs and thus negatively control their translation. This review article focuses on current research
related to miRNAs and their roles in modulating SCI symptoms, asserting that miRNAs contribute to critical post-
SCI molecular processes including neuroplasticity, functional recovery, astrogliosis, neuropathic pain, inflammation,
and apoptosis. In particular, miR-96 provides a promising therapeutic opportunity to improve the outcomes of
clinical interventions, including the way SCI injuries are evaluated and treated.

Keywords: Spinal cord injury, miRNAs, astrogliosis, neuropathic pain, inflammation, apoptosis, functional recovery

© The Author(s) 2019. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as long
as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license,
and indicate if changes were made.

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