High-throughput Sequencing and Bioinformatics Analysis Reveals the Neurogenesis Key Targets of Curcumin Action in Mouse Brain with MCAO

Abstract

Background: Experimental studies have shown that curcumin exerts neuroprotective effects in animal models with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). However, the mechanisms of protective effects of curcumin in MCAO are not fully understood. Objective: This study aims to investigate the key neurogenesis targets of curcumin action in mouse brain with MCAO. Methods: The MCAO models were established in mice. High-throughput sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed mRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA. The reverse expressed mRNAs, lncRNA, and circRNA in sham vs. MCAO and MCAO vs. curcumin were identified. Biological functions were determined by gene ontology (GO) analyses. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of neurogenesis-related genes was constructed. Next, neurogenesis-related lncRNA/ circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA networks were constructed. Results: The total of reverse expressed 1215 mRNAs, 32 lncRNAs, and 43 circRNAs were filtered based on the 2 series (sham vs. MCAO and MCAO vs. Curcumin). The functional enrichment analysis of 1215 reverse expressed mRNAs found that they were involved in neurogenesis, neuron generation, neurogenesis regulation, and others. The PPI network of neurogenesis-related genes consisted of 115 nodes, including 27 down-regulated genes and 36 up-regulated genes. Furthermore, the neurogenesis-related lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNAs networks were constructed, and 5 lncRNA ceRNA networks and 3 circRNA ceRNA networks were explored. Conclusion: Our study revealed that curcumin exerts neuroprotective effects by regulating neurogenesis. The neurogenesis-related lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA networks are potential therapeutic targets of curcumin in MCAO. This study provided a theoretical basis for curcumin exerting neuroprotective effects in MCAO.