Stroke is the number one cause of neurological dysfunction in adults and has a heavy socioeconomic burden worldwide. The etiological origins of ischemic stroke and resulting pathological processes are mediated by a multifaceted cascade of molecular mechanisms that are in part modulated by posttranscriptional activity. Accumulating evidence has revealed a role for microRNAs (miRNAs) as essential mediators of posttranscriptional gene silencing in both the physiology of brain development and pathology of ischemic stroke. In this review, we compile miRNAs that have been reported to regulate various stroke risk factors and pre-disease mechanisms, including hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, followed by an in-depth analysis of miRNAs in ischemic stroke pathogenesis, such as excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and neurogenesis. Since promoting or suppressing expression of miRNAs by specific pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical therapies may be beneficial to post-stroke recovery, we also highlight the potential therapeutic value of miRNAs in clinical settings.

中风是成年人神经系统功能障碍的第一原因，并且在全世界范围内具有沉重的社会经济负担。缺血性中风的病因起源和所导致的病理过程是由分子机制的多方面级联介导的，这些机制部分受转录后活性的调节。越来越多的证据表明，microRNA（miRNA）作为转录后基因沉默的重要介体，在大脑发育的生理学和缺血性中风的病理学中均发挥着作用。在本综述中，我们编译了据报道可调节各种中风危险因素和疾病前机制（包括高血压，动脉粥样硬化和糖尿病）的miRNA，然后深入分析了缺血性中风发病机制中的miRNA，例如兴奋性毒性，氧化性压力，炎症，细胞凋亡，血管生成和神经发生。由于通过特定的药物和非药物疗法促进或抑制miRNA的表达可能对中风后恢复有益，因此，我们还强调了miRNA在临床环境中的潜在治疗价值。