Protective effects of dexmedetomidine on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury via the microRNA-214/ROCK1/NF-κB axis

BACKGROUND: Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (CIRI) is a complication of surgical procedure associated with high mortality. The protective effect of dexmedetomidine (DEX) on CIRI has been explored in previous works, yet the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Our study explored the protective effect of DEX and its regulatory mechanism on CIRI. METHODS: A CIRI rat model was established using middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Neurological deficit scores for rats received MCAO modeling or DEX treatment were measured. Cerebral infarction area of rats was detected by TTC staining, while damage of neurons in hippocampal regions of rats was determined by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Apoptosis rate of neurons in hippocampal regions was examined by TUNEL staining. The dual-luciferase assay was performed to detect the binding of microRNA-214 (miR-214) to Rho-associated kinase 1 (ROCK1). RESULTS: DEX treatment significantly reduced infarction area of MCAO rats and elevated miR-214 expression. Injection of miR-214 inhibitor attenuated the effect of DEX in MCAO rats by increasing the area of cerebral infarction in rats and apoptosis rate of hippocampal neurons. ROCK1 was targeted and negatively regulated by miR-214. The overexpression of ROCK1 led to activation of NF-κB to aggravate CIRI. CONCLUSION: Therapeutic effects of DEX on CIRI was elicited by overexpressing miR-214 and impairing ROCK1 expression and NF-κB activation. Our finding might provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism of DEX in rats with CIRI. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12871-021-01423-5.