Peripheral neuropathy is the major complications of diabetes. There is a compelling need to develop effective therapeutic approaches specifically designed to improve neurological function in the damaged peripheral nervous system after diabetes. MicroRNA-146a (miR-146a) has been implicated in the regulation of multiple immune diseases. However, the role of miR-146a in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) has not been investigated. In a novel set of experiments, our preliminary data show that intravenous administration of miR-146a remarkably improved sciatic nerve vascular function, axonal myelination and peripheral nerve function in diabetic mice, indicating that miR-146a may have a beneficial effect on the clinical treatment of DPN. In this application, we therefore seek to investigate the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of miR- 146a on DPN. We propose that miR-146a by improving vascular function and suppressing pro-inflammation factors ameliorates DPN. The associated hypotheses are: 1. Treatment with chemically engineered miR-146a improves neurological outcomes in DPN in dose and therapeutic window dependent manners. 2. Elevation of miR-146a levels suppresses its target genes, IRAK1/TRAF6 and their down-stream pro-inflammatory factors in vascular endothelial cells and monocytes of type II diabetic mice, thereby, leading to the improvement of neurovascular function and consequently ameliorating peripheral neuropathy. To investigate the effect of miR- 146a on neurological outcomes, type II diabetic mice which develop severe peripheral neuropathy will be treated with miR-146a at various time points and doses after onset of DPN. To investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms, the effects of miR-146a overexpression and knockdown on target genes and inflammatory genes that mediate miR-146a-enhanced neurovascular function will be determined. These studies are innovative and will provide novel insights into mechanisms underlying the neurological dysfunction of DPN and likely lead to the development of a new miRNA-based gene therapy.

Public Health Relevance

There is currently no effective treatment for preventing the development or reversing the progression of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are post- transcriptional regulators and play a critical role in diabetic pathogenesis. The present application is to develop a miR-146a therapy for DPN and to investigate mechanisms underlying the miR-146a therapy with focusing on neurovascular dysfunction in DPN. Successful accomplishment of this project will provide a potential novel therapy for patients with DPN.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01DK102861-03
Application #
9211312
Study Section
Cellular and Molecular Biology of Glia Study Section (CMBG)
Program Officer
Jones, Teresa L Z
Project Start
2015-04-01
Project End
2019-01-31
Budget Start
2017-02-01
Budget End
2018-01-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
$300,712
Indirect Cost
$98,212
Name
Henry Ford Health System
Department
Type
Independent Hospitals
DUNS #
073134603
City
Detroit
State
MI
Country
United States
Zip Code
48202
Wang, Lei; Chopp, Michael; Lu, XueRong et al. (2018) miR-146a Mediates Thymosin ?4 Induced Neurovascular Remodeling of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in Type-II Diabetic Mice. Brain Res :
Liu, Xian Shuang; Fan, Baoyan; Szalad, Alexandra et al. (2017) MicroRNA-146a Mimics Reduce the Peripheral Neuropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Mice. Diabetes 66:3111-3121
Liu, Xian Shuang; Fan, Bao Yan; Pan, Wan Long et al. (2017) Identification of miRNomes associated with adult neurogenesis after stroke using Argonaute 2-based RNA sequencing. RNA Biol 14:488-499
Liu, Xian Shuang; Chopp, Michael; Pan, Wan Long et al. (2017) MicroRNA-146a Promotes Oligodendrogenesis in Stroke. Mol Neurobiol 54:227-237