Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most frequent cause of death among patients with gynecologic malignancies. In recent years, the development of cisplatin (DDP) resistance has become an important reason for the poor prognosis of OC patients. Therefore, it is vital to explore the mechanism of DDP resistance in OC. In this study, microRNA-1246 (miR-1246) expression in OC and DDP-resistant OC cells was determined by RT-qPCR, and chemosensitivity to DDP was assessed by the CCK-8 assay. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the interaction between miR-1246 and zinc finger 23 (<i>ZNF23</i>), while changes in <i>ZNF23</i> expression were monitored by RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence, and western blot assays. Moreover, cell proliferation, cycle phase, and apoptosis were determined by EdU staining, flow cytometry, TUNEL staining, and Hoechst staining. Our data showed that miR-1246 was highly expressed in DDP-resistant OVCAR-3 and TOV-112D cells. Functionally, overexpression of miR-1246 markedly enhanced DDP resistance and cell proliferation, and suppressed cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of OC cells. Inhibition of miR-1246 expression significantly attenuated DDP resistance and cell proliferation, and increased cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in DDP-resistant OC cells. Furthermore, <i>ZNF23</i> was identified as a target gene of miR-1246, and ZNF23 protein expression was notably downregulated in DDP-resistant OC cells. Moreover, overexpression of miR-1246 significantly downregulated the <i>ZNF23</i> levels in OVCAR-3 and TOV-112D cells, and inhibition of miR-1246 upregulated the <i>ZNF23</i> levels in the DDP-resistant OVCAR-3 and TOV-112D cells. In conclusion, miR-1246 might be a novel regulator of DDP-resistant OC that functions by regulating <i>ZNF23</i> expression in DDP-resistant cells, as well as cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis.
The marine-derived fungal metabolite, terrein, inhibits cell proliferation and induces cell cycle arrest in human ovarian cancer cells