The neuroprotective effect of MicroRNA-149-5p and coenzymeQ10 by reducing levels of inflammatory cytokines and metalloproteinases following focal brain ischemia in rats

•miR-149 downregulation in rat model of MCAO.•miR-149 and Q10 lead to a decrease in MMP-2,9 levels following cerebral ischemia.•miR-149 and Q10 reduce IL-6 and TNF-α levels following brain ischemia.•miR-149 and Q10 reduce edema and tissue damage volume and increase BBB integrity in rat model of MCAO. The increase in some factors following cerebral ischemia, especially Matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs) and inflammatory factors lead to blood-brain barrier (BBB) damages, edema and neuronal death. Previous studies have shown that these molecules are miRNA-149−5p (miR-149) and Coenzyme (Co) Q10 targets. Therefore, in this study, the effect of mimic of miRNA-149−5p (mimic miR) and CoQ10 on the expression of metalloproteinase 1 and 2 and inflammatory cytokines following injury caused by cerebral ischemia is investigated. Cerebral ischemia was modeled by Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO). Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: sham (without surgery and treatment), control (MCAO), negative control (NC): MCAO + scrambled miR, vehicle: MCAO + Ethanole, first treatment: MCAO + mimic miR, second treatment: MCAO + Q10. Each group was divided into 6 subgroups to evaluate neurological defects, the volume of tissue damage using 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, blood-brain barrier permeability using cerebral Evans Blue (EB) staining, edema by measuring the percentage of brain water, MMP-2,9 mRNA and miR-149−5p levels using Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) and the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α proteins using ELISA. The data obtained from this study showed that the use of mimic miR and Q10 increased the level of miR-149, decreased the extent of neurological defects and tissue damage, increased BBB integrity, decreased brain water percentage and also decreased the level of inflammatory cytokines and MMPs. It seems that the use mimic of miRNA-149−5p and Q10 can have a protective effect on the brain by reducing MMPs and inflammatory factors following cerebral ischemia and this could lead to a new treatment strategy to reduce the complications of cerebral ischemia.