Neurorepair in Spinal Cord Injury: Convergent MicroRNA-Mediated Pathways Drive Astrocyte Pathology and Their Relevance to Human Biomarker Development.

Authors

Mehek Sharma, Hedong Li

Published in

Journal of neurotrauma. Pages 8977151261498691. Oct 01, 2026. Epub Oct 01, 2026.

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) initiates a complex secondary injury cascade characterized by neuroinflammation, astrocyte reactivity, neuronal loss, and glial scar formation, all of which influence endogenous repair and functional recovery. Emerging evidence identifies microRNAs (miRNAs) as post-transcriptional regulators of these processes, yet their integrated role in astrocyte-associated pathology and their translational relevance remain incompletely defined. Experimental studies indicate that miRNAs can modulate conserved signaling pathways, including NF-κB, MAPK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, and JAK/STAT, with reported effects on astrocyte reactivity, inflammatory responses, neuronal survival, axonal regeneration, and blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) integrity. Additionally, miRNAs have been implicated in epigenetic regulation and mitochondrial function, which may influence glial proliferation and scar formation. In parallel, human studies of acute SCI demonstrate dynamic, severity-associated changes in circulating and cerebrospinal fluid miRNA profiles. Some of these human miRNA signatures overlap with inflammatory, apoptotic, and metabolic pathways identified in experimental models, although the biological sources and functional significance of these circulating signals remain incompletely defined. Human data remain largely descriptive and have not yet been fully integrated with mechanistic insights from preclinical astrocyte-focused studies. This review consolidates preclinical and human evidence to define a pathway-level framework in which miRNAs may contribute to astrocyte-associated pathology, glial scar dynamics, and neurorepair after SCI. By relating experimentally defined miRNA mechanisms to human biofluid signatures, miRNA networks represent potential translational targets for biomarker development and future therapeutic investigation. This framework provides a rationale for further evaluation of miRNA-based strategies in traumatic SCI, with potential future relevance to SCI occurring in the setting of spinal surgery.

PMID:
42885611
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Oct 2026.

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