Expression of Micrornas Mir‐126, Mir‐133b and Mir‐221 Associated With Apoptosis in Rats Submitted to Focal Cerebral Ischemia and Physical Exercise

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONStroke is one of the main causes of death and disability in Brazil and worldwide. The great impact on the quality of life of the population and on the health system justifies that we seek relevant alternatives to reduce the incidence and improve the treatment and recovery of patients affected by this disease. Physical exercise appears as an important tool in this scenario, being already pointed out as a possible therapeutic approach for the prevention of non‐contagious chronic diseases. Studies have shown that physical exercise when used in a systematic and organized way produces positive effects on the individual's quality of life and health. In this context, biomarkers such as miRNAs that respond to physical exercise and are directly related to several epigenetic mechanisms appear. Therefore, explaining the molecular mechanisms involved during physical exercise will lead to a better understanding of each stimulus and the dose to be used to better respond to each situation, thus being a promising approach for the evolution of prescription and control of training and processes recovery from various diseases, including stroke.MATERIALS AND METHODSForty‐eight Wistar rats were used, divided into four experimental groups: control group, ischemia group, physical exercise group and exercise + ischemia group. Real‐time PCR methodology was used to analyze the expression of miRNAs: miR‐126, miR‐133b and miR‐221.RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONIn our study we observed significant difference in miR‐221 expression between the control group and the other groups. However, microRNAs: miR‐126 and miR‐133b do not show significant differences in expression between groups.