Long non-coding RNA MCM 3 APAS 1 inhibits cell viability and promotes apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells by targeting miR-28-5 p

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most malignant cancers in women. Increasing numbers of studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in OC progression and prognosis. Purpose: The present study aimed to characterize the functions and primary molecular mechanisms of lncRNA-MCM3AP-AS1 in OC. Materials and methods: Quantitative real-time reverse transcription (qRT-PCR) was performed to measure MCM3AP-AS1 and microRNA-28-5p (miR-28-5p) expression in OC tissues and adjacent normal tissues, respectively. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the prognosis of OC. Luciferase reporter gene assay was carried out to identify regulation of MCM3AP-AS1 on miR-28-5p transcription activity. Methylthiazoletetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to detect the effect of MCM3AP-AS1 on the viability ability of OC cells. Flow cytometry analysis was used to measure the effect of MCM3AP-AS1 on the apoptosis of OC cells. Results: Both MCM3AP-AS1 and miR-28-5p expression were down-regulated in OC tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues. MCM3AP-AS1 and miR-28-5p expression was significantly associated with lymphatic metastasis and TNM stage. The area under the ROC curve values for MCM3AP-AS1 and miR-28-5p were 0.714 and 0.863, respectively. A positive correlation between MCM3AP-AS1 and miR-28-5p expression was also observed. Moreover, MCM3AP-AS1 directly and positively regulated miR-28-5p transcription. MCM3AP-AS1 suppressed viability and promoted apoptosis of OC cells via targeting miR-28-5p in OC. Conclusions: MCM3AP-AS1 could be a potential therapeutic target for the therapy of OC through miR-28-5p.