Biomarkers of ischemic cerebrovascular disease

Abstract

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs with 19-22 nucleotides. MiR-124 expresses abundantly in brain tissue and is involved in the development of ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD). Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is one of the important factors of the inflammatory reaction after cerebral ischemia. To explore the roles of miR-124 and TNF-α in the process of ICVD, here, we collected the serum of 15 patients with ICVD and 5 normal individuals. The levels of miR-124 and TNF-α were detected by real-time PCR and ELISA. The results showed that compared with the normal individuals, the levels of miR-124 and TNF-α in serum were upregulated in the patients, while they were downregulated after clinical treatment, suggesting that these two factors could be used as good biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of ICVD. Besides, our research also provided a theory foundation for understanding the mechanism of inflammatory response in cerebral ischemia mediated by miR-124. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014.