miRNA-10a-5p decreases pannexin-1 protein levels in rat hippocampi

Objective: To explore the expression and significance of microRNA-10a-5p and pannexin-1 in the hippocampi of intractable epilepsy rats. Method: 48 Wistar adult male rats were randomly divided into a normal group (n=12), a sham operation group (n=12), a model group (n=12), and an experimental group (n=12). Among them, the normal group was not treated, the model and experimental groups used lithium chloride-pilocarpine to establish an intractable epilepsy (IE) model, and the sham operation group was treated with normal saline. The rat models were observed with electroencephalograms (EEG), and the lentiviral vector of microRNA-10a-5p was constructed. The lentiviral vector was injected into the hippocampi of the rats in the experimental group. The model and sham-operation groups were treated with normal saline, while the normal group was not treated. The expressions of microRNA-10a-5p and pannexin-1 in the rats' hippocampi were determined using qRT-PCR and WB. Results: The expressions of microRNA-10a-5p in the experimental and model groups were significantly lower than they were in the sham-operated and normal groups (P < 0.05), and the expression of microRNA-10a-5p in the experimental group was significantly higher than it was in the model group (P < 0.05). The expressions of the pannexin-1 protein in the hippocampi of the experimental and model groups was significantly higher than it was in the normal and sham operated groups, while the expression of the pannexin 1 protein in the hippocampi of the experimental group was significantly lower than it was in the model group (P < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between the expressions of microRNA-10a-5p and pannexin-1 in the hippocampi of the two groups, that is, the expression of pannexin-1 protein decreased with an increase of the expression of microRNA-10a-5p. Conclusion: The overexpression of microRNA-10a-5p can effectively reduce the expression of the pannexin-1 protein in the rat hippocampi, and it is expected to become a potential therapeutic target for the clinical treatment of IE.