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Updated: Jan 3, 2026
Partial Sciatic Nerve Ligation: A Mouse Model of Chronic Neuropathic Pain to Study the Antinociceptive Effect of Novel Therapies
Published on: October 6, 2022
MicroRNA-144 relieves chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain via targeting RASA1
Xianjie Zhang1, Hongli Guo2, An Xie1
1Department of Anesthesiology, People's Hospital of Deyang City, Deyang, Sichuan Province, China.
Abstract:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to participate in development of neuropathic pain. However, the role of microRNA-144 (miR-144) in neuropathic pain remains unclear. In the present study, we established a neuropathic pain mouse model via chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induction. The successful establishment of this model was confirmed via evaluation of paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL). By using this model, we found that miR-144 was significantly downregulated in CCI-induced neuropathic pain mice. In addition, intrathecal injection of miR-144 agomiR alleviated mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in neuropathic pain mice as shown by the increased of PWT and PWL. Moreover, miR-144 negatively regulated neuroinflammation by decreasing the expression of proinflammatory mediators, including TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), IL (interleukin)-1β, and IL-6, thus facilitating the inhibition of neuropathic pain development. Mechanistically, RASA1 (RAS P21 Protein Activator 1) was downregulated following the injection of agomiR-144, and was verified to be a target of miR-144. Furthermore, overexpression of RASA1 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-144 on neuropathic pain. Therefore, the present study suggested that miR-144 has the potential to be explored as therapeutic target for treatment of neuropathic pain.
Insights
MicroRNA-144 (miR-144) levels decrease in neuropathic pain. Restoring miR-144 alleviates pain by reducing neuroinflammation and targeting RASA1, suggesting miR-144 as a potential therapeutic target.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Pain Research
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a role in neuropathic pain development.
- The specific function of microRNA-144 (miR-144) in neuropathic pain is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of miR-144 in neuropathic pain.
- To explore miR-144 as a potential therapeutic target for neuropathic pain.
Main Methods:
- Established a neuropathic pain mouse model using chronic constriction injury (CCI).
- Assessed pain behaviors via paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL).
- Administered miR-144 agomiR intrathecally and analyzed the expression of inflammatory mediators and RASA1.
Main Results:
- miR-144 was significantly downregulated in CCI-induced neuropathic pain mice.
- Intrathecal miR-144 agomiR injection reduced mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia.
- miR-144 inhibited neuroinflammation by decreasing TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 expression.
- RASA1 was identified as a direct target of miR-144, and its overexpression reversed the analgesic effect of miR-144.
Conclusions:
- miR-144 plays a protective role in neuropathic pain by suppressing neuroinflammation via RASA1.
- miR-144 demonstrates potential as a therapeutic target for managing neuropathic pain.
