Abstract: Objective To study the effects of sevoflurane on proliferation, migration and invasion of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and its mechanism. Methods Western blot was used to detect the expression of high migration rate group 1 (HMGB1) in MCF-7 cells; miR-34a group (transfected miR-34a mimics), miR-NC group (transfected miR-NC), sevoflurane treatment + Anti-miR-NC group (transfected anti-miR-NC) and sevoflurane treated + anti-miR-34a group (transfected anti-miR-34a) were transfected into MCF-7 cells by liposome method. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-34a in each group; MTT assay was used to detect cell proliferation; transwell assay was used to detect cell migration and invasion; and dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to detect cellular fluorescence activity. Results Compared with control, the expression of miR-34a was significantly increased in 1.7% of sevoflurane-treated cells (P < 0.05), HMGB1 expression was significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and cell proliferation, migration and invasion were significantly down-regulated. (P <0.05); overexpression of miR-34a inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of MCF-7 cells. Knockdown of miR-34a reduced the inhibitory effect of sevoflurane on proliferation, migration and invasion of MCF-7 cells. miR-34a significantly reduced the cytofluoroactivity of wild-type HMGB1 and negatively regulated the expression of HMGB1. Conclusion Sevoflurane can inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7.

Key words: sevoflurane, breast cancer, miR-34a/HMGB1 pathway, proliferation, migration, invasion