Let-7c-5p associate with inhibition of phenobarbital-induced cell proliferation in human palate cells

Cleft palate (CP) is one of the most common congenital diseases, and is accompanied by a complicated etiology. Medical exposure in women is among one of the reasons leading to CP. Recently, it has been reported that microRNA (miRNA) plays a crucial role in palate formation and the disruption of miRNA that influence the development of CP. Although association with pharmaceuticals and miRNAs were suggested, it has remained largely unknow. The aim of the current investigation is to elucidate upon the miRNA associated with the inhibition of phenobarbital (PB)-induced cell proliferation in human embryonic palatal mesenchymal (HEPM) cells. We showed that PB inhibited HEPM cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. We demonstrated that PB treatment suppressed cyclin-D1 expression in HEPM cells. Furthermore, PB upregulated let-7c-5p expression and downregulated the expression of two downstream genes (BACH1 and PAX3). Finally, we demonstrated that the let-7c-5p inhibitor alleviated PB-induced inhibition of cell proliferation and altered BACH1 and PAX3 expression levels. These results suggest that PB suppresses cell viability by modulating let-7c-5p expression.