MicroRNA-128-b regulates epidermal growth factor receptor expression in non-small cell lung cancer

The expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is regulated by microRNA (miRNA)-128-b in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, the association between miRNA-128-b expression and EGFR expression has not been determined in vivo. The expression of miRNA-128-b was detected by reverse transcription (RT)-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR); semi-quantitative RT-PCR was used to detect EGFR mRNA expression; immunostaining was used to detect EGFR protein expression. The results revealed that expression of miR28b in cancer tissues was decreased compared with normal tissues, and the expression of EGFR mRNA in cancer tissues was increased compared with normal tissues. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed that the normal tissues did not express EGFR protein, and the positive expression rate of EGFR in cancer tissues was 60%. Furthermore, the relative expression levels of miRNA-128-b were demonstrated to be correlated with EGFR mRNA and protein expression levels. In addition, the results revealed that miRNA-128-b regulated EGFR expression in NSCLC cells. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that miRNA-128-b may regulate the expression of EGFR in NSCLC cells, and that optimizing targeted therapy is conducive to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of patients with lung cancer.