miR-181d promotes cell proliferation via the IGF1/PI3K/AKT axis in glioma

Glioma is a malignant brain cancer that exhibits high invasive ability and poor prognosis. MicroRNA (miR)-181d has been reported to be involved in the development of glioma. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether miR-181d affected cellular progression by influencing the insulin like growth factor (IGF1)/PI3K/AKT axis. Western blot analysis was performed to analyze the expression levels of specific proteins, and a Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to assess the proliferative ability of cells. Cell cycle progression and cellular apoptosis were both measured using flow cytometry. The results indicated that miR-181d promoted cellular proliferation and cell cycle progression, while suppressing cellular apoptosis via the IGF1/PI3K/AKT axis. It was demonstrated that the IGF1 and PI3K/AKT inhibitors reversed these observed functions of miR-181d. Furthermore, miR-181d enhanced the growth of glioma xenografts in vivo, promoted cell cycle progression and suppressed cellular apoptosis within glioma xenograft tissues. Therefore, this newly identified miR-181d/IGF1/PI3K/AKT axis may provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of glioma.