Propofol Inhibits the Migration and Invasion of Glioma Cells by Upregulating MicroRNA-622

Malignant gliomas are the most common and lethal types of primary brain tumor in adults. Propofol exerts some therapeutic effects on glioma by inhibiting its migration and invasion. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, U251 glioma cells were treated with 1, 10, and 20 mu g/mL of propofol for 6 h to measure for cell invasion and migration. Moreover, the expression of miR-NA-622 were determined. Furthermore, activating transcription factor 2(ATF2) level was detected by western blot. Our data demonstrated that in U251 glioma cells, propofol significantly inhibited cell invasion and migration in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, propofol upregulated gene expression of miRNA-622. Moreover, treatment with propofol decreased the expression levels of transcription factor 2 (ATF2) protein; the inhibitory effect of propofol on ATF2 expression was reversed by transfection with miRNA-622i. Our data suggest that propofol could increase the level of miRNA-622, which is an inhibitor for the expression of ATF2, thus inhibit the invasion and migration of glioma cell. These findings may provide new inspiration for anesthesiologists in choosing anesthetic for glioma surgery.