Decreased miR-195 Expression Protects Rats from Spinal Cord Injury Primarily by Targeting HIF-1α

• Published in: Annals of clinical and laboratory science Vol. 46; no. 1; pp. 49 - 53
• Main Authors: Tao, Bo, Shi, Keqin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 2016
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis - genetics; Down-Regulation - genetics; Gene Expression Regulation - genetics; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit - metabolism; Male; MicroRNAs - genetics; MicroRNAs - metabolism; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Recovery of Function; Spinal Cord Injuries - genetics; Spinal Cord Injuries - pathology; Spinal Cord Injuries - physiopathology; Up-Regulation - genetics
• ISSN: 1550-8080

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) protects hypoxic cells from apoptosis and necrosis under ischemic and anoxic conditions. miRNAs are important regulators in the genome. This study aims to explore whether miR-195 is involved in spinal cord injury through HIF-1α. A total of 40 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were separated into four groups: Sham, Control, Ad-con, and Ad-miR-195. The behavior recovery was explored using the Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) scoring system. Then, the rats were sacrificed, and the spinal cords were collected. The levels of the HIF-1α, Bcl-2, Bax and VEGF proteins were explored using western blotting. H&E and immunohistochemistry were applied to study the morphological changes. qPCR analysis revealed that miR-195 was significantly decreased after spinal cord injury (SCI). Meanwhile, the expression of Bcl-2, VEGF and HIF-1α was increased in animals after SCI. More importantly, administration with Ad-miR-195 significantly decreased the HIF-1α protein level, thereby reducing Bcl-2 and VEGF expression. In addition, Ad-miR-195 also obviously increased the number of apoptotic cells and decreased the neurological recovery in the animals injected with Ad-miR-195. In conclusion, reduced miR-195 expression partially protects rats from spinal cord injury, primarily by targeting HIF-1α.