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Review
. 2022 May 27;23(11):6016.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23116016.

Expression and Biological Functions of miRNAs in Chronic Pain: A Review on Human Studies

Saverio Sabina  1 , Alessandra Panico  2 , Pierpaolo Mincarone  3 , Carlo Giacomo Leo  1 , Sergio Garbarino  4 , Tiziana Grassi  2 , Francesco Bagordo  5 , Antonella De Donno  2 , Egeria Scoditti  1 , Maria Rosaria Tumolo  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Expression and Biological Functions of miRNAs in Chronic Pain: A Review on Human Studies

Saverio Sabina et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Chronic pain is a major public health problem and an economic burden worldwide. However, its underlying pathological mechanisms remain unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and serve key roles in physiological and pathological processes. This review aims to synthesize the human studies examining miRNA expression in the pathogenesis of chronic primary pain and chronic secondary pain. Additionally, to understand the potential pathophysiological impact of miRNAs in these conditions, an in silico analysis was performed to reveal the target genes and pathways involved in primary and secondary pain and their differential regulation in the different types of chronic pain. The findings, methodological issues and challenges of miRNA research in the pathophysiology of chronic pain are discussed. The available evidence suggests the potential role of miRNA in disease pathogenesis and possibly the pain process, eventually enabling this role to be exploited for pain monitoring and management.

Keywords: chronic primary pain; chronic secondary pain; miRNA; miRNA target; pain pathogenesis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The miRNA–mRNA regulatory network. Red circles represent miRNAs and blue circles represent target genes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
KEGG pathways related to cellular processes significantly associated with miRNA targets in CPP (within each group, pathways are arranged according to their p-values, in descending order). Adjusted p-values were calculated using Benjamini-Yekutieli method.
Figure 3
Figure 3
KEGG pathways related to cellular processes significantly associated with miRNA targets in CSP (within each group, pathways are arranged according to their p-values, in descending order). Adjusted p-values were calculated using Benjamini-Yekutieli method.
Figure 4
Figure 4
KEGG pathways related to diseases significantly associated with miRNA targets in CPP (within each group, pathways are arranged according to their p-values, in descending order). Adjusted p-values were calculated using Benjamini-Yekutieli method.
Figure 5
Figure 5
KEGG pathways related to diseases significantly associated with miRNA targets in CSP (within each group, pathways are arranged according to their p-values, in descending order). Adjusted p-values were calculated using Benjamini-Yekutieli method.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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