Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2025

A Mouse Model of Orthopedic Surgery to Study Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction and Tissue Regeneration
Published on: February 27, 2018
Dysregulation of Serum MicroRNA after Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Aged Mice
Dominic Robles1, De-Huang Guo1, Noah Watson1
1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, 1120 15th Street, CB3618, 30912 Augusta, Georgia.
Insights
This study identified 28 microRNAs in the blood that change after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in aging mice. These microRNAs could become new biomarkers for diagnosing this severe stroke type in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomarkers
- Aging Research
Background:
- Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a severe stroke subtype with high mortality, particularly in aging populations.
- Aging's impact on ICH pathophysiology is understudied, and effective treatments are lacking.
- Circulating microRNAs show promise as non-invasive biomarkers for various diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify potential blood-based microRNA biomarkers for ICH in the elderly.
- To investigate the role of microRNAs in the pathophysiology of aging-related ICH.
Main Methods:
- Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) or sham surgery was induced in aged mice (18-24 months).
- Serum microRNA expression was analyzed 24 hours post-ICH using expression profiling.
- Statistical analysis identified significantly dysregulated microRNAs between ICH and sham groups.
Main Results:
- Twenty-eight microRNAs were significantly dysregulated in the serum of aged mice 24 hours after ICH compared to sham controls.
- Specific microRNAs, including miR-124-3p, miR-137-5p, and miR-138-5p, were highlighted as promising candidates.
- These findings suggest potential blood biomarkers for acute ICH in elderly individuals.
Conclusions:
- Circulating microRNAs are significantly altered following ICH in aged mice.
- Several identified microRNAs demonstrate potential as non-invasive biomarkers for diagnosing ICH in the elderly.
- Further research is warranted to validate these microRNA candidates for clinical application in ICH.
Abstract:
Stroke is one of the most common diseases that leads to brain injury and mortality in patients, and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most devastating subtype of stroke. Though the prevalence of ICH increases with aging, the effect of aging on the pathophysiology of ICH remains largely understudied. Moreover, there is no effective treatment for ICH. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of circulating microRNAs as non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in various pathological conditions. While many studies have identified microRNAs that play roles in the pathophysiology of brain injury, few demonstrated their functions and roles after ICH. Given this significant knowledge gap, the present study aims to identify microRNAs that could serve as potential biomarkers of ICH in the elderly. To this end, sham or ICH was induced in aged C57BL/6 mice (18-24 months), and 24 h post-ICH, serum microRNAs were isolated, and expressions were analyzed. We identified 28 significantly dysregulated microRNAs between ICH and sham groups, suggesting their potential to serve as blood biomarkers of acute ICH. Among those microRNAs, based on the current literature, miR-124-3p, miR-137-5p, miR-138-5p, miR-219a-2-3p, miR-135a-5p, miR-541-5p, and miR-770-3p may serve as the most promising blood biomarker candidates of ICH, warranting further investigation.

