Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences

Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences

Radiotherapy-associated changes in the miR-124/SP1 axis in a rat glioma model

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Elham Ghasemi 1
Mehdi Sadegh 2
Mahdieh Mondanizadeh 1, 3
Behzad Khansarinejad 4
Fatemeh Seif 5
1 Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
2 Departments of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
3 Molecular and Medicine Research Center, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
4 Department of Microbiology, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
5 School of Allied Medical Sciences, Department of Radiotherapy, Arak University of Medical Sciences and Khansari Hospital, Arak, Iran
10.22038/ijbms.2026.95079.20506
Abstract
Objective(s): Glioma is an aggressive brain tumor that frequently involves microRNA dysregulation. Rno-miR-124-3p is a brain-enriched miRNA involved in gene regulation, with Specificity Protein 1 (SP1) as its validated target. Radiotherapy remains a cornerstone of glioma treatment; however, its molecular effects on miRNA-transcription factor axes are not fully understood. We hypothesized that radiotherapy up-regulates Rno-miR-124-3p, thereby down-regulating SP1. Accordingly, this study evaluated their expression following radiotherapy in a rat glioma model.
Materials and Methods: C6 glioma cells were cultured, and an effective radiation dose was determined using an MTT assay. Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to six experimental groups: control, sham, glioma, and their corresponding radiotherapy-treated groups. Glioma was induced by stereotactic injection of C6 cells into the striatum. After radiotherapy, brain tissue was collected for histological and molecular analyses. Tumor expression of Rno-miR-124-3p and SP1 was quantified by real-time PCR.
Results: In glioma-bearing rats, Rno-miR-124-3p expression was significantly down-regulated, whereas SP1 was significantly up-regulated compared with control groups (P≤0.05 and P≤0.01, respectively). After radiotherapy, an inverse pattern was observed, with increased Rno-miR-124-3p and decreased SP1 in glioma tissues (P≤0.05 and P≤0.01). Histological evaluation suggested structural differences between the glioma and radiotherapy-treated glioma groups.
Conclusion: Glioma development alters the Rno-miR-124-3p/SP1 regulatory axis. Radiotherapy modulates this molecular pattern, suggesting a potential role for Rno-miR-124-3p in glioma-related pathways. Further studies are needed to clarify its functional and clinical relevance.
Keywords
Animal models
Gene expression regulation
Glioma
microRNAs
Radiotherapy
Rno-miR-124-3p
Sp1 transcription factor
Tumor cell line
Subjects
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Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 01 July 2026