Acute meningitis in rats is associated with decreased levels of miR132 and miR146a

INTRODUCTION: The pathogenesis of bacterial meningitis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae is still unclear. Despite early treatment with antibiotics, its morbidity and mortality is still high. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Streptococcus pneumoniae induced rat meningitis models were taken and divided into 2 groups; control (C) and meningitis (M). Western blot was used to detect toll like receptor 4 (TLR4), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 1B (IL1B), nuclear factor κB (NFκB) and real time polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the expression of miR146a, miR132, respectively. RESULTS: We found that the expressions of TLR4, TNF-α, IL1B, NFκB were all up-regulated in the acute stage of bacterial meningitis when compared to the control group. While for the post transcription factors, miR146a and miR132, the opposite was observed. They were down-regulated in the meningitis group. CONCLUSIONS: miR146a and miR132 may take part in the pathogenesis of SP bacterial meningitis as well as the TLR4- NFκB- TNF-α/IL1B signal transduction pathway.