Role of MicroRNAs in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Glioblastoma

Abstract

Introduction: MicroRNAs are considered the main regulators of many biological processes, such as cell proliferation and apoptosis, through controlling the expression of various genes. Therefore, changes in the expression of microRNAs play an important role in the occurrence of various diseases, including cancer. Glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive tumor of the central nervous system, whose prognosis is still poor despite progress in various treatment methods. In addition, glioblastoma is a multifactorial disease characterized by heterogeneity, which is the main reason for its resistance to common treatments. Identification of microRNAs and determination of the decrease or increase in their expression in glioblastoma can be considered a fast and minimally invasive diagnostic method and a promising treatment approach. Expression of miR-143/145 gene cluster is decreased in glioblastoma. Studies on glioblastoma have indicated that a decreased expression of the miR-143/145 cluster is associated with poor prognosis in patients. Research has suggested that upregulation of both microRNAs leads to reduced proliferation and invasion of glioblastoma cells. Method: In this study, searches were conducted in the scientific resource databases Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus using the keywords MicroRNA, Glioblastoma, miR-143, and miR-145 without any time restrictions and employing the logical operators NOT, OR, and AND. Results: Based on the research articles, a summary of the role of miR-143/145 in glioblastoma was provided. Conclusion: This review showed that microRNAs participate in many cell signaling pathways involved in tumorigenesis and progression of glioblastoma, including proliferation, differentiation, programmed cell death, metastasis, angiogenesis, and drug resistance. Therefore, microRNAs can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in glioblastoma