BACKGROUND:Neuroinflammation is a common therapeutic target for traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to its contribution to delayed secondary cell death and has the potential to occur for years after the initial insult. Previous studies demonstrate that miR-429 is up-regulated in the brain lesions of TBI mice, while its role in regulating neuroinflammation and brain injury remains largely unknown. METHOD:The expression of miR-429 in LPS-activated microglia and microglia in TBI model was detected by RT-PCR. The effects of miR-429 inhibitors on LPS-activated microglia in vitro as well as neurological recovery and post-traumatic neuroinflammatory response in TBI model mice were detected in vivo. RESULTS:LPS and TBI significantly induce the up-expression of miR-429, inflammatory cytokines, MAPK-p38 and phosphorylated NF-κB in microglia, which were all inhibited by miR-429 inhibitors. Meanwhile, miR-429 inhibitors also attenuated the neurological impairment in TBI mice. Bioinformatics analysis showed that miR-429 could target and inhibit the expression of dual specificity protein phosphatase 1 (DUSP1), thus inhibiting the expression of MAPK-p38 and phosphorylated NF-κB. CONCLUSION:miR-429 plays a pro-inflammatory role in activated microglia by targeting DUSP1 signaling pathway. Inhibiting miR-429 can attenuate the inflammatory response of microglia and TBI-mediated brain damage.