Mirna-218 Inhibits Inflammatory Reaction After Rat Cervical Spinal Cord Injury by Targeting Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription-3

Abstract

To find if the overexpression of microrna-218 can be used to treat SCI, here we divided 80 SD rats into control, SCI, overexpression and silencing groups, each with 20 rats. BBB score and combined behavior scores were used to evaluate the motor function under the SCI level. Expression of IL-1, IL-6, IL-23, STAT3 as well as p-STAT3 was measured. 8 weeks after surgery, over-expression group showed higher BBB score than controls (P < 0.05), while the CBS score was lower in overexpression group than control groups (P < 0.05). The expression of IL-1, IL-6 and IL-23 in the over expression group was lower than the SCI and silencing groups. Levels of IL-17mrna, STAT3 and phosphorylated STAT3 were higher in the over expression group than control groups, but lower than rats in SCI and silencing groups (P < 0.05). In conclusion, mirna-218 can prevent the overexpression of inflammatory factors by inhibiting the expression of STAT3, reducing secondary injury and promoting functional rehabilitation in rats after SCI.