miRNA and chronic pain

The quality of life for millions of people worldwide is affected by chronic pain. In addition to the effect of chronic pain on well-being, chronic pain has also been associated with poor health conditions and increased mortality. Due to its multifactorial origin, the classification of pain types remains challenging. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small molecules that regulate gene expression. They are released into the bloodstream in a stable manner under normal and pathological conditions and have been described as potential biomarkers. This study aimed to screen expression levels of a large number of microRNA in a population of chronic pain patients following traumatic skeletal muscle injury.

In the first part of the study, entitled “discovery”, we screened expression levels of 186 microRNA from 5 different groups of subjects. We then validate a selection of 10 most discriminating microRNA in 2 subtypes of chronic pain patients.
We finally suggest a model of classification of patients using 2 microRNAs able to discriminate nociceptive and neuropathic origin of chronic pain (AUC 0.76).