Potential Roles Of MicroRNA In Levonorgestrel-treated Uterine Leiomyoma Cells

Background Uterine leiomyoma is a common female benign tumor leading to gynecological disorders such as recurrent pregnancy loss and menstrual abnormalities.Although uterine leiomyoma could be cured by surgical and partial endocrine therapy,little is known about its biological mechanism.Methods In this study,uterine leiomyoma cells were treated with levonorgestal and prepared for miRNA microarray assay.The de-regulated miRNAs detected by microarray were confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR).Gene ontology and pathway analysis were carried out to investigate the biological functions of these dys-regulated miRNAs.Results The microarray data discovered nine significantly up-regulated miRNAs and 32 predominantly down-regulated miRNAs in levonorgestal-treated uterine leiomyoma cells.qPCR results further validated these discoveries.Gene ontology annotation showed that these dys-regulated miRNAs could regulate cell bicarbonate transport,phosphoinositide 3-kinase cascade,and other biological processes.Meanwhile,pathway analysis demonstrated that these dys-regulated miRNAs might participate in ErbB-MAPK signaling pathway regulation.Conclusion The above results suggest that these dys-regulated miRNAs probably play a critical role in the progression of uterine leiomyoma.By providing new hints of the molecular mechanisms of LNG-IUS remedy,our study might be helpful in developing noninvasive clinical treatment for uterine leiomyoma.