Mitigating the Oncogenic Roles of miR-629-5p and miR-660-5p Through Direct Binding by Two Potential Drug Targets for Colorectal Cancer Prevention.

Background: Many studies have reported the oncogenic roles of microRNA (miRNA)-629-5p and miRNA-660-5p in various cancers. This study aimed to elucidate the oncogenic roles of miRNA-629-5p and miRNA-660-5p, focusing on their potential contributions to early colorectal cancer (CRC) detection. Additionally, this research examines the efficacy of Regorafenib and 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) as therapeutic agents aimed at mitigating the oncogenic activities of these miRNAs by influencing their structural and conformational dynamics, thereby offering a preventive strategy against CRC.

Methods: The study utilized quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) to confirm the overexpression of miR-629-5p and miR-660-5p in 40 CRC tissues compared to 40 standard samples and their association with clinicopathological factors. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation were used to investigate Regorafenib and DIM binding modes to miR-629-5p and miR-660-5p.

Results: QRT-PCR showed that miR-629-5p and miR-660-5p were overexpressed in CRC tissues. In silico molecular docking and dynamic simulation strengthened our hypothesis that Regorafenib and DIM were located in the structures of the mentioned miRNAs, resulting in a slight alteration in their structures during the interaction process.

Conclusions: The study's findings suggest that miR-629-5p and miR-660-5p may have potential as predictive biomarkers and treatment targets for Preventing CRC and that Regorafenib and DIM may have miRNA binding properties. They indicated a high affinity to miRNA-629-5p compared with miRNA-660-5p created a slight change in its structure and can suppress its activity in CRC. However, extra experimental approaches are needed to approve our hypothesis.