miR‑145 and miR‑23b co‑transfection decreases proliferation, migration, invasion and protein levels of c‑MYC, ZEB1 and ABCB1 in epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines.

MicroRNAs (miRs) are non‑coding RNAs that prevent the translation of mRNAs. miRs participate in cellular processes such as cell proliferation, migration and invasion, acting as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. In epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), a decrease in tumor suppressor miRs, such as miR‑145 and miR‑23b, regulates the mRNAs of oncogenic proteins. The present study aimed to determine whether the co‑transfection of two oncosuppressor miRs (miR‑145‑5p and miR‑23b‑3p) decreased the proliferation, migration, invasion, and protein levels of c‑MYC, zinc finger E‑box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) and ATP binding cassette subfamily B1 (ABCB1) in EOC cell lines (A2780, SKOV‑3 and OV‑90). Reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR was employed to determine miR expression after co‑transfection. Cell proliferation was evaluated by Ki‑67 immunofluorescence staining and Ki‑67 positive cell counting. Transwell inserts, both with and without Matrigel, were used to assess invasion and migration, respectively. c‑MYC, ZEB1 and ABCB1 protein expression was determined by western blot analysis. The co‑transfection of miR‑145 and miR‑23b resulted in decreased proliferation, migration and invasion, along with reduced protein expression levels of c‑MYC, ZEB1 and ABCB1 in EOC cells. The combination of miR‑23b and miR‑145 transfection in EOC cells exhibited good antitumor effects, thus supporting the design of future complementary therapies for EOC.