Peripheral nerve injury impacts the daily life of affected individuals. MicroRNA (miR)-210 is a multifunctional miR and has effects on the proliferation, migration and differentiation of cells. However, whether miR-210 has effects on peripheral nerve regeneration has remained elusive. In the present study, the miR-210 levels in a rat model of sciatic nerve injury were evaluated by reverse-transcription quantitative PCR and the effects of miR-210 on the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells were explored. Elevated miR-210 levels were discovered in the sciatic nerve injury rat model. miR-210 mimics were found to promote the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells, while miR-210 inhibitor was found to inhibit the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells. Further study showed that miR-210 had effects on the expression of growth-associated protein-43, myelin-associated glycoprotein and myelin basic protein. These results showed that miR-210 had effects on the proliferation and migration of Schwann cells and may be involved in the peripheral nerve regeneration.
Keywords: Schwann cells; miR-210; migration; peripheral nerve regeneration; proliferation; sciatic nerve injury.