Iranian Researchers Conduct Research on Reduction in Neurological Deficits by miRNA-149-5p During Stroke

"Studying the potential pretreatment impact of miRNA-149-5p on an improvement in neurological deficits in stroke in rats" is the title of a PhِِD dissertation done by Mohammad Reza Bigdeli with the support of the INSF at the Tehran-based Tarbiat Modares University," Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) said in a report. 

"85% of all strokes are ischemic strokes, while hemorrhagic strokes account for 15% of strokes. Recently, significant progress has been made in understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms of stroke, especially in ischemic stroke," Bigdeli said.

"Despite the broad knowledge that has been developed in the field of stroke pathophysiology in the last 30 years; Still, the only way of treatment is the use of tissue plasminogen activator drugs. However, only 5% to 10% patients with ischemic stroke can benefit from it due to the limited time of using the drug and its side effects," the researcher said.

"Meanwhile, effective neuroprotection for ischemic stroke is an excellent method ...Several treatments, medical as well as surgical, are being studied. The use of miRNAs is classified in this field," he said.

"One of the important and new methods for transferring miRNAs to cells is using lentiviruses. These viruses are known as efficient vectors for the transfer of genes and miRNAs and can stably and efficiently transfer genetic materials to target cells," he further said.

"The use of lentiviruses is of great importance in gene therapy because these vectors are able to transfer miRNAs to target cells at a high-efficiency rate and can be effectively used to improve neurological deficits caused by stroke. In addition, lentiviruses are an efficient tool for research and development in the field of treating various diseases, including ischemic stroke, due to their ability to transfer genes to cells. This technique can help in the design and development of new drugs to reduce complications caused by stroke and improve the quality of life of patients," the researcher went on to say.

"Despite the multiple effects of miR-149-5p on various genes involved in proliferation or apoptosis, they have not been fully employed to improve neurological deficits caused by stroke. Therefore, it seems that using it to improve the complications caused by stroke is of particular importance," Bigdeli said, concluding, "This research can be used in the development of effective drugs for the treatment of complications caused by ischemic stroke."

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