MiR-183-5p Alleviates Chronic Constriction Injury-Induced Neuropathic Pain Through Inhibition of TREK-1.

MicroRNAs have been implicated in nerve injury and neuropathic pain. In the previous study we had shown that miR-96 can attenuate neuropathic pain through inhibition of Nav1.3. In this study, we investigated the role of miR-183, a same cluster member of microRNA with miR-96, in neuropathic pain and its potential mechanisms. We found that the expression level of miR-183-5p in dorsal root ganglion was decreased with the development of neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction sciatic nerve injury (CCI). By contrast, the TREK-1, a K+ channel, was increased. Further investigation identified that intrathecal injection of miR-183-5p mimic efficiently ameliorated neuropathic pain and inhibited the expression of TREK-1, a predicted target gene of miR-183-5p. Luciferase assays confirmed the binding of miR-183-5p and TREK-1. In addition, over-expression of TREK-1 blocked the roles of miR-183-5p in neuropathic pain. Our findings suggested that miR-183-5P participated in the regulation of CCI-induced neuropathic pain through inhibiting the expression of TREK-1.