Modulation of central nervous system-specific microRNA-124a alters the inflammatory response in the formalin test in mice

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that have been linked to a number of disease-related signal transduction pathways. Several studies indicate that they are also involved in nociception. It is not clear, however, which miRNAs are important and which genes are modulated by miRNA-associated mechanisms. This study focuses on the regulation and function of the central nervous system (CNS)-specific miRNA-124a in the spinal cord of mice in a formalin model of inflammatory nociception. miRNA-124a is constitutively expressed in the spinal cord of mice, particularly in neurons of the dorsal horn. Peripheral noxious stimulation with formalin led to significant down-regulation of its expression. Knock-down of miRNA-124a by intravenous administration of a specific miRNA-124a inhibitor further increased the nociceptive behavior associated with an upregulation of the pain-relevant miRNA-124a target MeCP2 and proinflammatory marker genes. In contrast, administration of a miRNA-124a mimic counteracted these effects and decreased nociception by down-regulation of the target gene. In conclusion, our results indicate that miRNA-124a is involved in inflammatory nociception by regulation of relevant target proteins and might therefore constitute a novel target for anti-inflammatory therapy.