MiR-424-5p acts as an oncogene in Hep3B cells by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a global health challenge with high morbidity and mortality. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play pivotal roles in cancer progression, yet their context-dependent functions in HBV-HCC are unclear. This study demonstrates that miR-424-5p is significantly upregulated in HBV positive Hep3B cells, correlating with poor patient prognosis. Integrated bioinformatic analysis predicted that the target genes of miR-424-5p are significantly enriched in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Functional experiments showed that knockdown of miR-424-5p suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation. Mechanistically, miR-424-5p knockdown led to the upregulation of PTEN and downregulation of phosphorylated PI3K/AKT, indicating inhibition of this pathway. These findings unveil an oncogenic role of miR-424-5p in HBV-HCC, suggesting its function is driven by viral specific dysregulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway, with PTEN involvement. Our study highlights miR-424-5p as a potential therapeutic target and provides insights into etiology-specific miRNA regulatory networks.