MiR-381-3p inhibits proliferation, invasion and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma

MiR-381-3p is involved in the occurrence and development of various tumors. However, its biological roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unknow. Here, we investigated the effects of miR-381-3p in HCC. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-381-3p in HCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. Results showed that miR-381-3p was down-regulated in 94 cases of HCC tissues. Clinical characteristics analysis showed that miR-381-3p expression was associated with gender, CA199, tumor size and metastasis of HCC patients. The expression level of miR-381-3p in SMMC-7721 HCC cells was regulated by transfection, and the effects of miR-381-3p on the function of HCC cells were detected by MTT proliferation assay, transwell assay and wound healing assay. And results showed that miR-381-3p inhibited the proliferation, invasion and migration of SMMC-7721 HCC cells. Multiple databases were used to predict the target genes of miR-381-3p, and GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed on these potential target genes by DAVID online analysis. The databases predicted 854 possible target genes of miR-381-3p, and analyzed their enrichment in three aspects of biological process, cellular component and molecular function. The strongest enrichment of KEGG pathway is the signaling pathways regulating pluripotency of stem cells. miR-381-3p inhibits HCC cell proliferation, invasion and migration and may be a new therapeutic target for HCC.