The potential roles of circular RNAs as modulators in traumatic spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) may cause long-term physical impairment and bring a substantial burden to both the individual patient and society. Existing therapeutic approaches for SCI have proven inadequate. This is mainly owing to the incomplete understanding of the cellular and molecular events post-injury. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) represent a new class of non-coding RNAs with a covalently closed annular structure that participates in regulating the transcription of certain genes and are linked to various biological processes and diseases. Mounting evidence is indicative that circRNAs are highly expressed in the spinal cord and they play key roles in multiple processes of neurological diseases. Recently, a role for circRNAs as effectors of SCI has emerged, leading to the continuity of relevant research. In this review, we presented current studies with regards to the abnormality of circRNAs mediating SCI by affecting mechanisms of autophagy, apoptosis, inflammation, and neural regeneration. Furthermore, the potential clinical value of circRNAs as therapeutic targets of SCI was also analyzed.