Upregulation of MED7 was associated with progression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: MED subunits have been reported to be associated with various types of tumors, however, the potential role of MED7 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was still unclear. The aim of the study was to explore the role of MED7 in HCC. METHODS: In this study, MED7 mRNA expression levels between HCC and adjacent normal tissues were first analyzed by several public datasets. Then we utilized a tissue microarray (TMA) to investigate the clinical role of MED7 in HCC by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Meanwhile, the potential mechanisms of MED7 based on gene-gene correlation analyses were also explored. RESULTS: High mRNA level of MED7 correlated with advanced stage and worse grade of differentiation. IHC results showed that MED7 protein level was upregulated in HCC and associated with Edmondson grade and Microvascular invasion in 330 cases of HCC. GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analysis revealed that MED7 co-expressed genes participate primarily in ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis, protein targeting, mRNA processing and nucleoside triphosphate metabolic process et cetera. Further analysis also revealed that MED7 mRNA level has significant correlation with immune cells infiltration levels. CONCLUSION: MED7 was upregulated in HCC and correlated with progression of HCC. Meanwhile, MED7 may promote HCC through participating in multiple gene networks to influence tumorigenesis as well as immune response in HCC microenvironment.

The prognosis of elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatectomy a multicenter competing risk analysis.

BACKGROUND: Non-cancer-specific death (NCSD) is an important factor that needs to be considered in patients with malignancy, as it can affect their long-term prognosis. In particular, the effect of age on patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatectomy requires clarification. This study aims to examine the impact of age on patients with HCC after hepatectomy and to identify independent risk factors of survival. METHODS: Patients with HCC that fell within the Milan Criteria and had undergone curative hepatectomy were included in this study. The patients were divided into two groups: young patients (age <70) and elderly patients (age ≥70). Perioperative complications, cancer-specific death (CSD), recurrence, and NCSD were all recorded and analyzed. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors of survival using Fine and Gray's competing-risk regression model. RESULTS: Among 1,354 analytic patients, 1,068 (78.7%) were stratified into the young group and 286 (21.3%) into the elderly group. The elderly group had a higher 5-year cumulative incidence of NCSD (12.6% vs. 3.7% for the young group, P < 0.001), but lower 5-year cumulative incidences of recurrence (20.3% vs. 21.1% for the young group, P = 0.041) and CSD (14.3% vs. 15.5% for the young group, P = 0.066). Multivariate competing-risk regression analyses revealed that age was independently associated with NCSD (subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) 3.003, 95%CI: 2.082-4.330, P < 0.001), but not with recurrence (SHR 0.837, 95%CI: 0.659-1.060, P = 0.120) or CSD (SHR 0.736, 95%CI: 0.537-1.020, P = 0.158). CONCLUSION: For patients with early-stage HCC after hepatectomy, older age was independently associated with NCSD, but not recurrence and CSD.

Short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic versus open liver resection for large hepatocellular carcinoma: a propensity score study.

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains controversial, especially for tumors larger than 5 cm. We compared the short- and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic and open liver resection (OLR) for large HCC. METHODS: Patients with large HCC after curative hepatectomy were enrolled. To compare the short-term outcomes, propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) were performed to reduce the effect of confounding factors, respectively. Subsequently, Cox-regression analyses were conducted to identify the independent risk factors associated with decreased recurrence-free survival (RFS) and poor overall survival (OS). RESULT: There were 265 patients enrolled in the final analysis: 146 who underwent OLR and 119 who underwent LLR. There was no significant difference between the OLR and LLR groups according to PSM and IPTW analysis (all P > 0.05). Multivariable analysis revealed that LLR was not independently associated with poorer OS (HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.80-1.67, P = 0.448) or RFS (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.88-1.70, P = 0.238). CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in perioperative complications or long-term prognosis between LLR and OLR for large HCC, which provides evidence for standard laparoscopic surgical practice with adequate surgeon experience and careful patient selection.

Carbohydrates based stimulus responsive nanocarriers for cancer-targeted chemotherapy: a review of current practices.

INTRODUCTION: Many nanocarriers have been developed to react physicochemically to exterior stimuli like ultrasonic, light, heat, and magnetic fields, along with various internal stimuli including pH, hypoxia, enzyme, and redox potential. Nanocarriers are capable to respond various stimuli within the cancer cells to enable on-demand drug delivery, activation of bioactive compounds, controlled drug release, and targeting ligands, as well as size, charge, and conformation conversion, enabling sensing and signaling, overcoming multidrug resistance, accurate diagnosis, and precision therapy. AREAS COVERED: Carbohydrates are ubiquitous biomolecules with a high proclivity for supramolecular network formation. Numerous carbohydrate-based nanomaterials have been used in biological solicitations and stimuli-based responses. Particular emphasis has been placed on the utilization of carbohydrate-based NPs and nanogels in various fields including imaging, drug administration, and tissue engineering. Because the assembly process is irreversible, carbohydrate-based systems are excellent ingredients for the development of stimulus-responsive nanocarriers for cancer-targeted chemotherapy. This review aims to summarise current research on carbohydrate-based nanomaterials, with an emphasis on stimuli-sensitive nanocarriers for cancer-targeted chemotherapy. EXPERT OPINION: Carbohydrates-based stimulus-responsive nanomaterials have been proved highly efficient for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs, thus leading to effective chemotherapy with minimum off-target effects.

Impact of diabetes mellitus on the long-term prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: The impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unclear. The present study aims to draw a firm conclusion in terms of evaluating the impact of DM on the prognosis of HCC after hepatectomy. METHODS: The pattern of recurrence for HCC was often stratified into early-stage (<2 years) and late-stage (≥2 years) recurrence. Because the early-stage recurrence was mainly attributed to aggressive tumor pathological characteristics, patients who recurrence or die within 2 years were excluded. Cumulative overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were determined by the method of Kaplan-Meier, and the independent risk factors of OS/RFS were determined by Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 426 patients were eventually included. The 3- and 5-year OS in patients with and without DM was 83.7%, 55.1%; and 90.9%, 77.4%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that DM was an independent risk factor for OS (HR 1.166, 95% CI 1.056-2.036, P = 0.022) and RFS (HR 1.365, 95% CI 1.043-1.787, P = 0.023). CONCLUSION: DM is an independent risk factor for long-term prognosis in patients with HCC. Patients with DM after hepatectomy for HCC, thus, need to actively control DM and closer follow-up.

Self-assembling peptides-based nano-cargos for targeted chemotherapy and immunotherapy of tumors: recent developments, challenges, and future perspectives.

Self-assembling peptides (SAPs) have enormous potential in medical and biological applications, particularly noninvasive tumor therapy. SAPs self-assembly is governed by multiple non-covalent interactions and results in the formation of a variety of morphological features. SAPs can be assembled in a variety of ways, including chemical conjugation and physical encapsulation, to incorporate multiple bioactive motifs. Peptide-based nanomaterials are used for chemotherapy, delivery vehicles, immunotherapy, and noninvasive tumor therapies (e.g. photodynamic therapy) by employing the self-assembling properties of peptides. The recent increase of SAPs is almost entirely due to their excellent biocompatibility, responsiveness toward tumor microenvironment, multivalency, and structural versatility. Synergistic therapy is a more effective and powerful approach to treat the tumor. Notably, SAPs can be used to subtly combine various treatments. Importantly, SAPs are capable of subtly making the combination of various treatments. This review describes mechanisms of peptides self-assemble into various structures and their biomedical applications with a focus on possible treatments.

Prognostic impact of tumor size on isolated hepatocellular carcinoma without vascular invasion may have age variance.

Background: Previous studies suggested that tumor size was an independent risk factor of prognosis for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the general prognostic analysis did not consider the interaction between variables. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the effect of tumor size on the prognosis of isolated HCC without vascular invasion varies according to covariates. Methods: Patients were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to investigate whether there was an interaction between age and tumor size on the prognosis. Then the trend test and the value of per 1 SD of tumor size were calculated. In addition, the data of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital meeting the requirements were selected to verify the obtained conclusions. Results: Multivariable Cox regression analysis of the database cohort showed that age, gender, tumor size, pathological grade and marital status were independent risk factors for prognosis. Interaction test showed that there was an interaction between age and tumor size (P for interaction < 0.05). Stratified analysis by age showed that tumor size was an independent risk factor for prognosis when age ≤65 years old (HR:1.010,95%CI1.007-1.013 P < 0.001), while tumor size was not an independent risk factor for prognosis when age >65 years old. This result was confirmed by trend analysis (P for trend < 0.001), and the prognostic risk increased by 42.1% for each standard deviation increase of tumor size among patients age ≤65 years. Consistent conclusion was obtained by multivariable cox regression analysis and interaction test on the verification cohort. In the validation cohort, for each standard deviation increase of tumor size in patients ≤65 years old, the risk of prognosis increased by 52.4%. Conclusion: Tumor size is not an independent risk factor for the prognosis of isolated HCC without vascular invasion when patient's age >65 years. Therefore, when analyzing the relationship between tumor size and prognosis, stratified analysis should be performed according to age.

Targeting Tumor Immunosuppressive Microenvironment for the Prevention of Hepatic Cancer: Applications of Traditional Chinese Medicines in Targeted Delivery.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the ancient and most accepted alternative medicinal systems in the world for the treatment of health ailments. World Health Organization recognizes TCM as one of the primary healthcare practices followed across the globe. TCM utilizes a holistic approach for the diagnosis and treatment of cancers. The tumor microenvironment (TME) surrounds cancer cells and plays pivotal roles in tumor development, growth, progression, and therapy resistance. TME is a hypoxic and acidic environment that includes immune cells, pericytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, various cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components. Targeting TME using targeted drug delivery and nanoparticles is an attractive strategy for the treatment of solid tumors and recently has received significant research attention under precise medicine concept. TME plays a pivotal role in the overall survival and metastasis of a tumor by stimulating cell proliferation, preventing the tumor clearance by the immune cells, enhancing the oncogenic potential of the cancer cells, and promoting tumor invasion. Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is one of the major causes of cancer-associated deaths affecting millions of individuals worldwide each year. TCM herbs contain several bioactive phytoconstituents with a broad range of biological, physiological, and immunological effects on the system. Several TCM herbs and their monomers have shown inhibitory effects in HCC by controlling the TME. This study reviews the fundamentals and applications of targeting strategies for immunosuppressing TME to treat cancers. This study focuses on TME targeting strategies using TCM herbs and the molecular mechanisms of several TCM herbs and their monomers on controlling TME.

The role of long non-coding RNAs in mediating chemoresistance by modulating autophagy in cancer.

Cancer is a complex process in which protein-coding and non-coding genes play essential roles. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), as a subclass of noncoding genes, are implicated in various cancer processes including growth, proliferation, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Due to presence in body fluids such as blood and urine, lncRNAs have become novel biomarkers in cancer detection, diagnosis, progression, and therapy response. Remarkably, increasing evidence has verified that lncRNAs play essential roles in chemoresistance by targeting different signalling pathways. Autophagy, a highly conserved process in response to environmental stresses such as starvation and hypoxia, plays a paradoxical role in inducing resistance or sensitivity to chemotherapy agents. In this regard, we reviewed chemoresistance, the role of lncRNAs in cancer, and the role of lncRNAs in chemoresistance by modulating autophagy.

Decreased DC-SIGNR expression in hepatocellular carcinoma predicts poor patient prognosis.

Dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-grabbing non-integrin-related protein (DC-SIGNR) is a transmembrane receptor primarily involved in pathogen recognition by the innate immune system, with particular importance for viral recognition. DC-SIGNR may also be associated with tumorigenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between DC-SIGNR expression, development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and clinicopathological features. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess DC-SIGNR protein expression in HCC and paired non-cancerous tissue samples. DC-SIGNR expression was lower in HCC tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissue samples. The expression of DC-SIGNR was associated with small tumor size, low Edmondson grade and high patient long term survival rates. Bioinformatics analyses were performed on several datasets to assess the potential function of DC-SIGNR and related genes; the data revealed that DC-SIGNR mRNA expression was lower in HCC tissues compared with non-cancerous controls, and analyses of ten-year survival rates indicated patients with low DC-SIGNR expression exhibited shorter average survival times. In conclusion, decreased DC-SIGNR expression in HCC tissues may be a relevant predictive biomarker of clinical prognosis, in addition to being a viable therapeutic target for HCC treatment.

Corrigendum: MiR-148b suppresses cell proliferation and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting WNT1/ß-catenin pathway.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep08087.].

MiR-148b suppresses cell proliferation and invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting WNT1/ß-catenin pathway.

Accumulating evidences indicate that microRNAs play a vital role in regulating tumor progression. However, the roles of miR-148b in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are still largely unknown. In this study, our data showed that miR-148b was significantly downregulated in 40 pairs of human HCC tissues. Further, the deregulated miR-148b was significantly correlated with larger tumor size, more tumor number, metastasis and worse prognosis in HCC. Overexpression of miR-148b inhibited HCC HepG2 cells proliferation and tumorigenicity. Further, miR-148b induced cells apoptosis by activating caspase- 3 and caspase-9, and induced S phase arrest by regulating cyclinD1 and p21, and also inhibited cell invasion. Data from the dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that WNT1 was a direct target of miR-148b, and overexpressed WNT1 inversely correlated with miR-148b levels in HCC tissues. Silencing of WNT1 inhibited the growth of HCC cells, and also induced cells apoptosis and inhibited invasion, which is consistent with the effects of miR-148b overexpression. MiR-148b downregulated expression of WNT1, ß-catenin and C-myc, while upregulated E-cadherin expression. We conclude that the frequently downregulated miR-148b can regulate WNT1/ß-catenin signalling pathway and function as a tumor suppressor in HCC. These findings suggest that miR-148b may serve as a novel therapeutic target for HCC.

Sirtuin 1 facilitates chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer cells by regulating adaptive response to chemotherapy-induced stress.

Chemotherapy drugs themselves may act as stressors to induce adaptive responses to promote the chemoresistance of cancer cells. Our previous research showed that sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) was overexpressed in pancreatic cancer patients and deregulation of SIRT1 with RNAi could enhance chemosensitivity. Thus, we hypothesized that SIRT1 might facilitate chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer cells through regulating the adaptive response to chemotherapy-induced stress. In the present study, SIRT1 in PANC-1, BXPC-3, and ASPC-1 cells was upregulated after treatment with gemcitabine. Moreover, the decrease in SIRT1 activity with special inhibitor EX527 had a synergic effect on chemotherapy with gemcitabine in PANC-1 and ASPC-1 cell lines, which significantly promoted apoptosis, senescence, and G0 /G1 cycle arrest. Western blot results also showed that SIRT1, acetylated-p53, FOXO3a, and p21 were upregulated after combined treatment, whereas no obvious change was evident in total p53 protein. To further confirm the role of SIRT1 in clinical chemotherapy, SIRT1 was detected in eight pancreatic cancer tissues acquired by endoscopy ultrasonography guided fine needle aspiration biopsy before and after chemotherapy. Compared to before chemotherapy, SIRT1 was significantly increased after treatment with gemcitabine in six cases. Thus, our results indicated a special role for SIRT1 in the regulation of adaptive response to chemotherapy-induced stress, which is involved in chemoresistance. Moreover, it indicates that blocking SIRT1 activity with targeting drugs might be a novel strategy to reverse the chemoresistance of pancreatic cancer.

miRNA-141, downregulated in pancreatic cancer, inhibits cell proliferation and invasion by directly targeting MAP4K4.

miRNAs are associated with various types of cancer due to their ability to affect expression of genes that modulate tumorigenesis. In this study, we explored the role of miR-141 in pancreatic cancer. The analysis of clinical characteristics showed that miR-141 was significantly downregulated in tissues and cell lines of pancreatic cancer. Moreover, the decreased miR-141 level was significantly associated with tumor size and TNM stage, as well as lymph node and distant metastasis. Meanwhile, both Kaplan-Meier and multivariate survival analysis showed decreased miR-141 were associated with overall survival. Overexpression of miR-141 in pancreatic cancer cells inhibited cell proliferation, clonogenicity, and invasion; induced G1 arrest and apoptosis; and enhanced chemosensitivity. To understand how miR-141 mediates the phenotype of pancreatic cancer cells, a bioinformatics tool was used to identify MAP4K4 as a potential target of miR-141. The Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay showed that miR-141 binds directly to the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of MAP4K4 to inhibit MAP4K4 expression. Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses revealed that MAP4K4 expression was inversely correlated with miR-141 expression both in pancreatic cancer samples and cell lines. Knockdown of MAP4K4 inhibited cell proliferation, clonogenicity, and invasion, induced G1 arrest and apoptosis, and enhanced chemosensitivity. In a nude mouse xenograft model, both overexpression of miR-141 and knockdown of MAP4K4 significantly repressed pancreatic cancer cell growth. Therefore, we conclude that miR-141 targets MAP4K4, acts as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer cells, and may serve as a novel therapeutic agent for miRNA-based pancreatic cancer therapy.

MiR-130b is a prognostic marker and inhibits cell proliferation and invasion in pancreatic cancer through targeting STAT3.

Accumulating evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) are aberrantly expressed in human cancer and contribute to the tumorigenesis, but their roles in pancreatic cancer are still largely unknown. In this study, our data showed that miR-130b was significantly downregulated in 52 pairs of pancreatic cancer tissues and five cell lines. Furthermore, the deregulated miR-130b was correlated with worse prognosis, increased tumor size, late TNM stage, lymphatic invasion and distant metastasis. Multivariate analysis showed that miR-130b expression was a significant and independent prognostic predictor for pancreatic cancer patients. Functional studies indicated that the overexpression of miR-130b dramatically suppressed the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo, which could be attributed to the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at S phase. Meanwhile, an overexpressed miR-130b remarkably inhibited the invasive ability of pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, the dual luciferase assay revealed that STAT3 was directly targeted by miR-130b, which was further confirmed by the inverse expression of miR-130b and STAT3 in pancreatic cancer samples. Our findings suggested that miR-130b might have a considerable potential in prognosis identification and application of therapy for pancreatic cancer.

Nicotinamide prohibits proliferation and enhances chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells through deregulating SIRT1 and Ras/Akt pathways.

BACKGROUND: Nicotinamide (NAM), the precursor for the synthesis of NAD(+) and also an inhibitor of SIRT1, has been discovered to inhibit some types of cancer. However, little is known about the effects of NAM on pancreatic cancer cells. Since previous research showed that SIRT1 and K-Ras/Akt signaling acted as a promoter in tumorigenesis of pancreatic cancer, our present research set out to explore whether NAM inhibits proliferation and facilitates chemosensitivity in pancreatic cancer cells as well as the potential mechanisms involving SIRT1 and K-Ras/Akt pathway. METHODS: Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay, and apoptosis and cell cycle were measured by flow cytometry. Cell invasive ability was evaluated by matrigel invasion assays. The activity of SIRT1 was measured by the Fluor de Lys deacetylation assay. Expression levels of SIRT1, K-Ras, Phosphated Akt (P-Akt, Ser-473) and Akt were measured using western blot. In vivo tumor growth was performed in pancreatic cancer cells xenografts. RESULTS: NAM inhibited the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, and significantly induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase. Moreover, NAM obviously restrained cell invasive ability and increased the chemosensitivity. NAM significantly inhibited the activity of SIRT1 and decreased expression of SIRT1, K-Ras and P-Akt. Further, NAM prohibited proliferation and enhanced GEM antitumor activity in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our results implied that NAM might be a potential therapeutic agent for human pancreatic cancer treatment through downregulating SIRT1, K-Ras and P-Akt expression.

Effects of different resuscitation fluid on severe acute pancreatitis.

AIM: To compare effects of different resuscitation fluid on microcirculation, inflammation, intestinal barrier and clinical results in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients with SAP were enrolled at the Pancreatic Disease Institute between January 2007 and March 2010. The patients were randomly treated with normal saline (NS group), combination of normal saline and hydroxyethyl starch (HES) (SH group), combination of normal saline, hydroxyethyl starch and glutamine (SHG group) in resuscitation. The ratio of normal saline to HES in the SH and SHG groups was 3:1. The glutamine (20% glutamine dipeptide, 100 mL/d) was supplemented into the resuscitation liquid in the SHG group. Complications and outcomes including respiratory and abdominal infection, sepsis, abdominal hemorrhage, intra-abdominal hypertension, abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS), renal failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), operation intervention, length of intensive care unit stay, length of hospital stay, and mortality at 60 d were compared. Moreover, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), gastric intramucosal pH value (pHi), intra-abdominal pressure (IAP), inflammation cytokines, urine lactulose/mannitol (L/M) ratio, and serum endotoxin were investigated to evaluate the inflammatory reaction and gut barrier. RESULTS: Compared to the NS group, patients in the SH and SHG groups accessed the endpoint more quickly (3.9 ± 0.23 d and 4.1 ± 0.21 d vs 5.8 ± 0.25 d, P < 0.05) with less fluid volume (67.26 ± 28.53 mL/kg/d, 61.79 ± 27.61 mL/kg per day vs 85.23 ± 21.27 mL/kg per day, P < 0.05). Compared to the NS group, incidence of renal dysfunction, ARDS, MODS and ACS in the SH and SHG groups was obviously lower. Furthermore, incidence of respiratory and abdominal infection was significantly decreased in the SH and SHG groups, while no significant difference in sepsis was seen. Moreover, less operation time was needed in the SH and SHG group than the NS group, but the difference was not significant. The mortality did not differ significantly among these groups. Blood SpO2 and gastric mucosal pHi in the SH and SHG groups increased more quickly than in the NS group, while IAP was significantly decreased in the SH and SHG group. Moreover, the serum tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-8 and C-reactive protein levels in the SH and SHG groups were obviously lower than in the NS group at each time point. Furthermore, urine L/M ratio and serum endotoxin were significantly lower in the SH group and further decreased in the SHG group. CONCLUSION: Results indicated that combination of normal saline, HES and glutamine are more efficient in resuscitation of SAP by relieving inflammation and sustaining the intestinal barrier.

miR-148b functions as a tumor suppressor in pancreatic cancer by targeting AMPKα1.

miRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that participate in a variety of biologic processes, and dysregulation of miRNA is always associated with cancer development and progression. Aberrant expression of miR-148b has been found in some types of cancer, but its expression and potential biologic role in pancreatic cancer are still largely unknown. In this study, our data showed that miR-148b was significantly downregulated in 48 pairs of human pancreatic cancer tissues and five cell lines. Furthermore, the deregulated miR-148b was correlated with increased tumor size, late tumor-node-metastasis stage, lymphatic invasion, distant metastasis, and worse prognosis in pancreatic cancer. Functional studies indicated overexpression of miR-148b dramatically suppressed the growth of cancer cells, attributable to induction of apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest at S-phase. Meanwhile, miR-148b remarkably inhibited invasion and enhanced chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, ectopic expression of miR-148b was able to inhibit tumorigenicity in nude mice. Further studies revealed that AMPKα1 might be the direct target gene of miR-148b, and overexpressed AMPKα1 inversely correlated with miR-148b in pancreatic cancer. Silencing of AMPKα1 with RNA interference inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and also induced apoptosis, cell-cycle arrest, and inhibited invasion of cancer cells, which is consistent with the effects of miR-148b overexpression. In conclusion, miR-148b can inhibit cell proliferation, invasion, and enhance chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer by targeting AMPKα1. Our present results implicate the potential effects of miR-148b on prognosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.