MicroRNA-based therapy: a new dimension in epilepsy treatment

Abstract

Epilepsy is a brain disorder, which is characterized by a predisposition to generate seizures that are associated with neurobiological, psychological cognitive and linguistic problems. Current treatments of epilepsy remain difficult, and antiepileptic drugs fail for some patients. Expressions of different microRNAs (miRNAs) in different brain regions are implicated in epileptogenic activity. MiRNAs are important regulators of seizure-induced neuronal death. The activation of inflammatory pathways is involved in reactive astrocytes and cells of the microglia in human temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). MiRNAs are regulators of the innate immune response in the modulation of astrocyte-mediated inflammation. These miRNAs can possibly be used as a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of TLE. Targeting miRNA in epilepsy supports it as a feasible strategy for the treatment of epilepsy. But this powerful technique has received less attention as a potential therapeutic strategy. This is mainly because of the lack of well-defined targets in epilepsy. This review focuses on the role of miRNA in epilepsy, and recent advances in miRNA targeted epileptic therapies.

KEYWORDS: :

• epileptic seizure
• neurodegeneration
• inflammation in brain
• microRNA
• treatments of epilepsy

This study was supported by Hunan Provincial Project for the Department of Science and Technology for Studying Epilepsy, [2011]102; No. 2011FJ4271.