miR-876-3p suppresses the progression of colon cancer and correlates the prognosis of patients

miR-876-3p has been identified to be downregulated in colon cancer, implying the potential biological function in the progression and prognosis of colon cancer. The clinical significance and the biological function of miR-876-3p were investigated in this study to assess the potential of miR-876-3p in acting as a novel biomarker of the progression of colon cancer. The expression of miR-876-3p in colon cancer was evaluated by RT-qPCR. The clinical significance of miR-876-3p was assessed by associated its expression level with the clinical features and prognosis of patients. The biological function of miR-876-3p was estimated by the CCK8 and Transwell assay in vitro. The significant downregulation of miR-876-3p was observed in colon cancer tissues and cells, which was closely associated with the lymph node metastasis status, TNM stage, and the perineural invasion of patients. miR-876-3p served as an independent indicator that was negatively associated with the prognosis of patients. In colon cancer cells, miR-876-3p showed significant inhibitory effects on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, indicating its tumor suppressor role in the progression of colon cancer. miR-876-3p might be involved in colon cancer development, which provides a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer treatment. •miR-876-3p was significantly downregulated in colon cancer.•The downregulation of miR-876-3 was significantly associated with the disease development of colon cancer.•miR-876-3p could predict the poor prognosis of patients.•miR-876-3p served as a tumor suppressor.•All these results theoretical basis and potential therapeutic target for the management of colon cancer.