Inhibition of chaetocin on retinoblastoma progression by modulating the miR-124/SBK1 axis

We conducted cellular and animal experiments to investigate the correlation between miR-124/SBK1 and retinoblastoma (RB) progression, as well as to elucidate the anti-cancer efficacy of chaetocin in RB. Initially, miR-124 levels showed a significant decrease in RB tissues and cells, which further declined with increasing tumor diameter and clinical stage. In cellular experiments, inhibiting miR-124 expression significantly enhanced the viability and invasiveness of Y79 cells, while up-regulating miR-124 suppressed the malignant biology of Y79 cells by targeting SBK1 levels, thereby reducing their viability and invasiveness. Subsequent animal experiments provided further evidence that SBK1 was the functional target of miR-124, and its up-regulation significantly facilitated RB progression. Additionally, chaetocin demonstrated anti-tumor effects through the upregulation of miR-124 and downregulation of SBK1. Therefore, chaetocin can effectively inhibit RB progression by targeting the upregulation of miR-124 and downregulation of SBK1.