MiR-198 inhibits proliferation, invasion and migration of ovarian cancer cells by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Objective: The specific objective of this investigation is to explore the impact of miR-198 on proliferation, migration as well as invasion of ovarian cancer (OC) cells. Methods: OC tissue and adjacent normal tissue samples from OC patients were collected, and normal human ovarian epithelial cell IOSE80 and OC cell lines SKOV3, Caov3, A2780 and OVCAR3 were selected in this study for investigation. MiR-198 expression level was assessed using RT-qPCR. MTT, colony formation assay, Transwell and wound healing assay, and flow cytometry were adopted to analyze the role of miR-198 in OVCAR cell proliferation, invasion, migration, as well as apoptosis. Meanwhile, the levels of P13K/Akt signaling pathwayrelated proteins were determined by western blotting. Results: A significant decrease in miR-198 level was revealed in the OC tissues and cells, contributing to the promotion of OVCAR3 cells in terms of proliferation, migration, invasion, and inhibition of apoptosis. MiR-198 overexpression had an opposite effect on these biological processes of OVCAR3 cells. Further study found that down-regulation of miR-198 caused a significant increase in the activity of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in the OVCAR3 cells. In contrast, overexpressed miR-198 led to inhibition of this pathway's activity. Conclusion: MiR-198 may possess an ability to inhibit activation of the P13K/ Akt pathway, thus suppressing the OC cell proliferation, migration, as well as invasion.