LAUSR

Epilepsy is a group of neurological disorders characterized by epileptic seizures. In this study, we aim to explore the role of microRNA‐421 (miR‐421) in hippocampal neurons of epilepsy mice via the TLR/MYD88 pathway. Forty mice were randomly served as the normal and model (established as epilepsy model) groups. Hippocampal neurons were assigned into seven groups with different transfections. The RT‐qPCR and western blotting were conducted to examine the expression of miR‐421 TLR2, TLR4, MYD88, Bax, Bcl‐2, p53, Beclin‐1, and LC3II/LC3I. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by MTT and flow cytometry.MYD88 is a target gene of miR‐421. Model mice showed elevated expression of TLR2, TLR4, MYD88, Bax, p53, Beclin‐1, and LC3II/LC3I but reduced expression of miR‐421 and Bcl‐2. In vitro experiments reveals that overexpression of miR‐421 inhibited the TLR/MYD88 pathway. Besides, overexpressed miR‐421 declined cell apoptosis but increased cell proliferation. It reveals that miR‐421 targeting MYD88 could inhibit the apoptosis and autophagy of hippocampal neurons in epilepsy mice by down‐regulating the TLR/MYD88 pathway.