Identification of microRNA-mRNA regulatory network associated with oxidative DNA damage in human astrocytes.

The high lipid content of the brain, coupled with its heavy oxygen dependence and relatively weak antioxidant system, makes it highly susceptible to oxidative DNA damage that contributes to neurodegeneration. This study is aimed at identifying specific ROS-responsive miRNAs that modulate the expression and activity of the DNA repair proteins in human astrocytes, which could serve as potential biomarkers and lead to the development of targeted therapeutic strategies for neurological diseases. Oxidative DNA damage was established after treatment of human astrocytes with 10μM sodium dichromate for 16 h.