The effect of alcohol on the expression of miroRNAs in rat nucleus accumbens

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs with strong biological functions. However, the roles of miRNAs in alcohol addiction are still unclear. In this study, we analyzed miRNA profile of in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of rats treated with alcohol. The results demonstrated, among the 300 detected miRNAs in NAc, multiple miRNAs were aberrantly expressed after treatment with alcohol. To perform the experiment, 18 male rats (weighing 150-180 g) were divided into two treatment groups: vehicle (500 ul saline, ip bid) or alcohol (1 g/kg, ip bid). Seven days later, the animals were sacrificed and their NAc were isolated for miRNA microarray analysis. The miRNA expressions were determined using miRNA microarrays for rat (LC Sciences). Data were normalized using cyclic method and statistically analyzed using Ttest.