Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder that is primarily associated with maternal and neonatal or fetal morbidity and mortality. The discovery of dysregulated microRNAs (miRs) and their roles in preeclampsia has provided new insight into the mechanisms involved in pregnancy‑related disorders. In the present study, quantitative PCR demonstrated that the expression levels of miR‑524‑5p were lower in patients with preeclampsia than those in normal pregnant women. Cell Counting Kit‑8 and Transwell assays indicated that overexpression of miR‑524‑5p promoted the proliferation and invasion of HTR‑8/SVneo cells, whereas inhibition of miR‑524‑5p suppressed HTR‑8/SVneo cell proliferation and invasion. Furthermore, NUMB endocytic adaptor protein (NUMB), a negative regulator of the Notch signaling pathway and a target gene of miR‑524‑5p, limited the effects of miR‑524‑5p on HTR‑8/SVneo cell invasion and migration. The present study demonstrated that miR‑524‑5p regulated the proliferation and invasion of HTR‑8/SVneo cells at least partly by targeting NUMB to regulate the Notch signaling pathway.
Keywords: preeclampsia; proliferation; invasion; microRNA; NUMB; Notch.