MicroRNA‑302a inhibits cell proliferation and invasion, and induces cell apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma by directly targeting VEGFA.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer‑related mortality worldwide. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that microRNAs may be used as diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic targets for human cancers, including HCC. The present study aimed to evaluate microRNA (miR)‑302a expression and function in HCC, and its underlying mechanisms. The results revealed that miR‑302a was expressed at low levels in HCC tissues and cell lines. Reduced miR‑302a expression was correlated with tumor‑node‑metastasis stage and lymph node metastasis in patients with HCC. Additionally, overexpression of miR‑302a reduced cell proliferation and invasion, and induced apoptosis in HCC cells. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) was demonstrated to be a direct target gene of miR‑302a. VEGFA was highly expressed in HCC tissues and inversely correlated with miR‑302a expression. Knockdown of VEGFA expression led to reduced HCC cell proliferation and invasion, and increased apoptosis rates, similar to miR‑302a overexpression, which suggested that VEGFA may be a functional downstream target of miR‑302a in HCC. These data suggested that this newly identified miR‑302a/VEGFA axis may be involved in HCC formation and progression. The present results also provide novel potential targets for the treatments of patients with HCC.