Effect of OSW-1 on microRNA expression profiles of hepatoma cells and functions of novel microRNAs.

3β,16β,17α-trihydroxycholest-5-en-22-one 16-O-(2-O-4-methoxybenzoyl-β-D-xylopyranosyl)-(1→3)- (2-O-acet​yl-α-L-arabinopyranoside) (OSW-1) is a member of the cholestane saponin family, which was first isolated from the bulbs of Ornithogalum saundersiae and previously reported to be cytotoxic against several types of malignant cells. However, its antitumor mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles in order to explore the antitumor activities of OSW-1. Furthermore, following study of differentially expressed miRNAs, the function of novel miRNAs and OSW-1 was determined using known miRNAs and anticarcinogens. The present study demonstrated that treatment with OSW-1 leads to the upregulation and downregulation of a large set of tumor-related miRNAs, including miR-299, miR-1908, miR-125b, miR-187a, miR-1275, hav1-miR-H6-3p, miR-181, miR-210, miR-483, miR-126, miR-208 and others. Notably, miR-141, miR-142, miR-200C and miR-1275 were found to be upregulated by OSW-1 and doxorubicine, as compared with doxorubicine alone. Additionally, the expression fold-change of miR-142-3P was ~58 times higher than its expression with a different treatment. These miRNAs are linked to cancer, including proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, cell adhesion, migration, polarity and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT).