Involvement of microRNA-146a in the Inflammatory Response of S tatus Epilepticus Rats

Status epilepticus (SE), which can cause neuronal injury, neuronal death and alteration of neuronal networks, is characterized by high mortality and morbidity. Recently, inflammation was shown to play a significant role in SE pathogenesis. We also found that microRNA-146a was highly expressed in SE rats with severe inflammation. The role of miRNA-146a in the inflammatory response of SE is not clear. Thus, in our study, we investigated the relationship between inflammation and miR-146a expression. We assessed the effects of thymoquinone, an anti-inflammatory drug, and found it had a neuroprotective effect on SE by inhibiting the inflammatory reaction. By measuring cytokines and miR-146a expression, we found that changes in miRNA-146a were positively correlated with the expression change in inflammatory proteins.