MicroRNA-133a inhibits the malignant behavior of glioma via downregulation of matrix metallopeptidase 9.

MicroRNA (miR)-133a expression has been reported to be downregulated in numerous human malignancies. However, the expression levels and function of miR-133a have not yet been investigated in human glioma. In the present study, the expression of miR-133a was analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Following transfection of miR-133a, cell proliferation, cell migration, cell invasion and luciferase assays, and western blot analysis were conducted in glioma cell lines. The present study demonstrated that miR-133a was downregulated in human glioma tissues compared with in normal adjacent tissues. In addition, the results indicated that miR-133a was likely to directly target matrix metallopeptidase 9 in glioma. These results suggest that miR-133a may be considered as a target for the treatment of human glioma.