<p>MicroRNA-579-3p Exerts Neuroprotective Effects Against Ischemic Stroke via Anti-Inflammation and Anti-Apoptosis</p>
Authors: Zhigang Tan
Yan Cui
Wenjia Ma
Jiaoying Jia
Yugang Jiang
Journal: Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment (2020)
Discipline: NEUROSCIENCE & BEHAVIOR
Keywords: apoptosis; inflammation; ischemia/reperfusion; miR-579-3p.
Affiliations: Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha City, Hunan Province 410011, People's Republic of China.

Abstract:  Background/aims: Multiple studies have found that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the development of cerebral ischemia. MiR-579-3p can inhibit inflammatory responses and apoptosis, leading to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) damage. However, the mechanism of how miR-579-3p actions in brain I/R injury remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of the role of miR-579-3p in brain I/R injury. Methods: A rat model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was established by suture method. The effects of miR-579-3p on cerebral infarction size, brain water content, and neurological symptoms were evaluated. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis. ELISA was used to detect the level of inflammatory factors. Western blot was used to detect the expression of P65, NCOA1, Bcl-2 and Bax. The relationship between miR-579-3p and NCOA1 was analyzed by bioinformatics analysis and ﻿luciferase assay. Results: Overexpression of miR-579-3p reduced infarct volume, brain water content and neurological deficits. Overexpression of miR-579-3p inhibited the expression level of the inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α, IL-6, COX-2 and iNOS, and increased the expression level of IL-10. MiR-579-3p overexpression inhibited NF-кB activity by reducing NRIP1. In addition, miR-579-3p could reduce the apoptotic rate of cortical neurons. Overexpression of miR-579-3p inhibited the activity of ﻿caspase-3, increased the expression level of anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 in neurons, and decreased the expression level of apoptotic gene Bax. Conclusion: miR-579-3p can be used to treat brain I/R injury, and its neuroprotective effect may be ascribed to the reduction of inflammation and apoptosis. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 2021 retraction. https: translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com articles 10.1186 s12967-021-02719-3 This article [1] has been retracted by the authors. The corresponding author has stated that part of the research, including western blot and qPCR experiments, had been outsourced to a third party company that has gone out of business, and the authors have been unable to reproduce the results themselves. Therefore the authors no longer have confidence in the validity of the data and the conclusions drawn. In addition, contrary to the statement in the article, the animal experiments have not been approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University. All authors agree with this retraction. Reference 1. Gou X, Wu J, Huang M, et al. microRNA-128 mediates CB1 expression and regulates NF-KB p-JNK axis to influence the occurrence of diabetic bladder disease. J Transl Med. 2020;18:284. https: doi.org 10.1186 s12967-020-02406-9. , 
 #1 It would be naive to believe that the third-party company has gone out of business: it might have stopped replying to the authors emails, but that is a different matter. Anyway, the declaration that the WBs in this paper are the work of an outside contractor is valuable, as WBs with the same  blurry bowtie appearance are rife within the literature, and potentially have the same provenance. Here are the WBs: Figs 3i, 4c, 5d e f. ![file] Here, for comparison, are the WBs from [Chi et al (2020)] . To my mind, they are drawn from the same limited gamut. ![file] ,