The potential of long non-coding RNAs for motor function recovery after spinal cord injury in rodents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have garnered significant attention in preclinical studies for their potential in treating spinal cord injury (SCI). This meta-analysis aimed to assess the overall efficacy of lncRNA treatments in improving motor function in rodent models of SCI. METHODS: The Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 14.0. The standardized mean difference (SMD) was employed to combine various motor function scores. RESULTS: A total of 33 studies were included in this review. Key findings indicated that lncRNA treatments could markedly enhance locomotor function in rodents with SCI compared to control groups (SMD&#xa0;=&#xa0;4.20, 95% CI: 3.35 to 5.05, I&#xa0;=&#xa0;80.0%, P&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.0001). Furthermore, in male rats with contusion/compression injuries, targeting specific cytosol-enriched lncRNAs to downregulate their expression may significantly improve motor function recovery. Specifically, intrathecal injection of non-viral vectors for lncRNA delivery proved to be the most effective method in this study. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA treatments have demonstrated the potential to improve motor function in rodent models with SCI. However, the therapeutic efficacy may be overestimated. Future research should rigorously assess the clinical translational efficacy and safety of lncRNA treatments.