Dysregulation of miRNA-2116-3p Predicts Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Regulates Tumor Cell Proliferation and Migration.

Background and Aims: The objective of this research was to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value, as well as the functional roles of miR-2116-3p in HCC. Methods: We evaluated the expression level of miR-2116-3p using qRT-PCR. The diagnostic and prognostic implications of miR-2116-3p expression in plasma were investigated. A functional characterization of miR-2116-3p in HCC cells was carried out. Results: It was discovered that the expression of miR-2116-3p was notably reduced in both the plasma and tissue samples of HCC (P<0.05). The down-regulation of miR-2116-3p expression was correlated with the patients' tumor size and TNM stage (P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that plasma miR-2116-3p expression could effectively distinguish HCC patients (N=60) from control subjects, and this biomarker exhibited a moderate diagnostic performance for HCC. Based on the survival curves, patients with low miR-2116-3p levels exhibited poorer survival rates compared to those with high levels (log-rank P=0.006). Furthermore, the findings of the Cox analysis suggested that miR-2116-3p expression was an independent prognostic factor for HCC. The outcomes of cell experiments demonstrated that the overexpression of miR-2116-3p in HCC cells resulted in the inhibition of cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Conclusions: The data from this study suggest that miR-2116-3p has the potential to serve as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC. miR-2116-3p exerts a functional influence on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion.