Targeting miR‑21 in spinal cord injuries: a game‑changer?

Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to various pathological conditions like neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis, limiting recovery. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small RNA molecules that regulate genes and are involved in normal and disease processes. miR-21, a highly expressed miR, increases after SCI. Overexpression of miR-21 protects against SCI by reducing neuroinflammation, improving blood-spinal cord barrier function, regulating angiogenesis, controlling glial scar formation and preventing apoptosis.

• 1
  miR-21 overexpression reduces neuroinflammation after SCI by decreasing the expression of inflammatory factors.
• 2
  miR-21 controls glial scar formation by modulating astrocytes’ secretion, proliferation, and apoptosis, interacting with signaling pathways.
• 3
  miR-21 promotes angiogenesis by increasing the expression of angiogenesis-related molecules and promoting the survival, migration, and tube formation of endothelial cells.