# The Role of miRNAs in Regulating Neurovascular Unit Homeostasis: Bidirectional Communication and Therapeutic Insights in Ischemic Stroke

## TL;DR

This review explores how microRNAs regulate the brain's neurovascular unit, especially during ischemic stroke, and their potential for therapeutic use.

## Contribution

The paper provides new insights into miRNA-mediated communication within the neurovascular unit and their therapeutic potential in ischemic stroke.

## Key findings

- miRNAs regulate tight-junction proteins and basement membrane to maintain blood-brain barrier integrity.
- Key miRNAs facilitate intercellular communication among neurovascular unit cells during ischemic stroke.
- miRNA-based therapies show promise but face current limitations in effective stroke intervention.

## Abstract

The neurovascular unit (NVU) is an essential, dynamic multicellular unit that maintains the homeostasis and function of the brain, with the integrity of the NVU having a tremendous impact on the pathogenic progression of ischemic stroke (IS). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are essential regulators of gene expression and promote intercellular communication and functional unity in the NVU. This narrative review assesses the regulatory process mediated by miRNAs that help maintain homeostasis of the NVU, particularly during IS, with particular emphasis on their modulation of tight-junction (TJ) proteins, basement membrane (BM) and glial–vascular. These regulatory actions are essential for blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity and neuronal survival. The analysis also exposes the intercommunication networks established by key miRNAs between various cells of the NVU, highlighting their complex and dynamic regulatory properties. Moreover, it investigates therapeutic strategies predicated on miRNA regulatory mechanisms, highlighting the optimistic prospects as well as the present limitations pertaining to effective IS intervention.