MicroRNAs (miRNA/miRs) serve crucial roles in the progression of human glioblastoma (GBM); however, the exact regulatory mechanisms of miRNAs in human GBM remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the roles of miR‑454‑3p in human GBM. Reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) analysis was performed to examine the expression of miR‑454‑3p in glioma tissues and adjacent tissues. Human GBM cell lines (LN‑229, A172 and GL15) and a normal human astrocyte cells (HA1800) were used for analysis. In addition, RT‑qPCR and western blotting were applied for mRNA and protein expression analysis, respectively. The cell proliferation was measured using a Cell Counting kit‑8 assay. Furthermore, scratch and Transwell assays were employed for the analysis of cell migration and invasion. A luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the target of miR‑454‑3p. The results revealed that miR‑454‑3p was downregulated in the glioma tissues and GBM cell lines, including LN‑229, A172 and GL15. Additionally, the overexpression of miR‑454‑3p significantly suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of LN‑229 cells. Furthermore, cytoplasmic polyadenylation element‑binding protein 1 (CPEB1) was confirmed as a direct target of miR‑454‑3p. These findings indicated that the overexpression of miR‑454‑3p inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion by downregulating CPEB1. Therefore, miR‑454‑3p may act as a tumor suppressor and represent an effective therapeutic strategy in GBM.