Effects of long non-coding RNA Opa-interacting protein 5 antisense RNA 1 on colon cancer cell resistance to oxaliplatin and its regulation of microRNA-137

BACKGROUND: The incidence of colon cancer (CC) is currently high, and is mainly treated with chemotherapy. Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) is a commonly used drug in chemotherapy; however, long-term use can induce drug resistance and seriously affect the prognosis of patients. Therefore, this study investigated the mechanism of Opa-interacting protein 5 antisense RNA 1 (OIP5-AS1) on L-OHP resistance by determining the expression of OIP5-AS1 and microRNA-137 (miR-137) in CC cells and the effects on L-OHP resistance, with the goal of identifying new targets for the treatment of CC. AIM: To study the effects of long non-coding RNA OIP5-AS1 on L-OHP resistance in CC cell lines and its regulation of miR-137. METHODS: A total of 114 CC patients admitted to China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University were enrolled, and the expression of miR-137 and OIP5-AS1 in tumor tissues and corresponding normal tumor-adjacent tissues was determined. The influence of OIP5-AS1 and miR-137 on the biological behavior of CC cells was evaluated. Resistance to L-OHP was induced in CC cells, and their activity was determined and evaluated using cell counting kit-8. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the apoptosis rate, Western blot to determine the levels of apoptosis-related proteins, and dual luciferase reporter assay combined with RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation to analyze the relationship between OIP5-AS1 and miR-137. RESULTS: OIP5-AS1 was up-regulated in CC tissues and cells, while miR-137 was down-regulated in CC tissues and cells. OIP5-AS1 was inversely correlated with miR-137 (P < 0.001). Silencing OIP5-AS1 expression significantly hindered the proliferation, invasion and migration abilities of CC cells and markedly increased the apoptosis rate. Up-regulation of miR-137 expression also suppressed these abilities in CC cells and increased the apoptosis rate. Moreover, silencing OIP5-AS1 and up-regulating miR-137 expression significantly intensified growth inhibition of drug-resistant CC cells and improved the sensitivity of CC cells to L-OHP. OIP5-AS1 targetedly inhibited miR-137 expression, and silencing OIP5-AS1 reversed the resistance of CC cells to L-OHP by promoting the expression of miR-137. CONCLUSION: Highly expressed in CC, OIP5-AS1 can affect the biological behavior of CC cells, and can also regulate the resistance of CC cells to L-OHP by mediating miR-137 expression.