MiR-223-3p in Cancer Development and Cancer Drug Resistance - Same Coin, Different Faces - Review

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Oliver

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as powerful post-transcriptional regulators in normal cellular physiology and in disease. This review analyzes miR-223-3p (miR-223) across multiple cancer types, emphasizing how its biological role varies with the molecular context. The article contrasts settings where miR-223 behaves as an oncogenic versus an oncosuppressive miRNA, and links miR-223 to context-dependent treatment sensitivity or chemoresistance. It also highlights consistent target associations with NLRP3 and FBXW7 and evaluates evidence that miR-223 is frequently elevated in cancer-related biological fluids or extracellular vesicles, supporting its diagnostic and prognostic biomarker potential.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages47

Reading Time1 h 58 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

MicroRNAs as post-transcriptional regulators

MiRNA gene organization and biogenesis

Pleiotropic functions and dysregulation in disease

Review MiR-223-3p in Cancer Development and Cancer Drug Resistance: Same Coin, Different Faces Davide Barbagallo 1,2, *, Donatella Ponti 3, Barbara Bassani 4, Antonino Bruno 4,5, Laura Pulze 5, Shreya A. Akkihal 6, Jonahunnatha N. George-William 7, Rohit Gundamaraju 8,9 and Paola Campomenosi 5, * Citation: Barbagallo, D.; Ponti, D.; Bassani, B.; Bruno, A.; Pulze, L.; Akkihal, S.A.; George-William, J.N.; Gundamaraju, R.; Campomenosi, P. MiR-223-3p in Cancer Development and Cancer Drug Resistance: Same Coin, Different Faces. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 8191. [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[ ](https://doi.org/)[10.3390/ijms25158191](10.3390/ijms25158191) Academic Editor: Alfonso Baldi Received: 6 June 2024 Revised: 18 July 2024 Accepted: 23 July 2024 Published: 26 July 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Biology and Genetics “Giovanni Sichel”, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 89, 95123 Catania, Italy 2 Interdisciplinary Research Centre on the Diagnosis and Therapy of Brain Tumors, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy 3 Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, University of Rome Sapienza, Corso della Repubblica 79, 04100 Latina, Italy; [donatella.ponti@uniroma1.it](donatella.ponti@uniroma1.it) 4 Laboratory of Innate Immunity, Unit of Molecular Pathology, Biochemistry, and Immunology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) MultiMedica, Via Fantoli 16/15, 20138 Milano, Italy; [barbara.bassani@multimedica.it](barbara.bassani@multimedica.it) (B.B.); [antonino.bruno@uninsubria.it](antonino.bruno@uninsubria.it) (A.B.) 5 Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, DBSV, University of Insubria, Via J.H. Dunant 3, 21100 Varese, Italy; [laura.pulze@uninsubria.it](laura.pulze@uninsubria.it) 6 Independent Researcher, 35004 SE Swenson St, Snoqualmie, WA 98065, USA; [sankolekar@gmail.com](sankolekar@gmail.com) 7 Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Via Fratelli Cervi, 93, 20054 Segrate, Italy; [jonahnesson@gmail.com](jonahnesson@gmail.com) 8 Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; [rohit.gundamaraju@utas.edu.au](rohit.gundamaraju@utas.edu.au) 9 ER Stress and Mucosal Immunology Team, School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS 7248, Australia * Correspondence: [davide.barbagallo@unict.it](davide.barbagallo@unict.it) (D.B.); [paola.campomenosi@uninsubria.it](paola.campomenosi@uninsubria.it) (P.C.); Tel.: +39-095-4781489 (D.B.); +39-0332-421322 (P.C.) Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are mighty post-transcriptional regulators in cell physiology and pathophysiology. In this review, we focus on the role of miR-223-3p (henceforth miR-223) in various cancer types. MiR-223 has established roles in hematopoiesis, inflammation, and most cancers, where it can act as either an oncogenic or oncosuppressive miRNA, depending on specific molecular landscapes. MiR-223 has also been linked to either the sensitivity or resistance of cancer cells to treatments in a context-dependent way. Through this detailed review, we highlight that for some cancers (i.e., breast, non-small cell lung carcinoma, and glioblastoma), the oncosuppressive role of miR-223 is consistently reported in the literature, while for others (i.e., colorectal, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers, and acute lymphocytic leukemia), an oncogenic role prevails. In prostate cancer and other hematological malignancies, although an oncosuppre

FAQs

What role does miR-223-3p play in different cancers?

miR-223-3p can act as either an oncogenic or an oncosuppressive miRNA depending on the molecular landscape of each cancer type.

How is miR-223-3p linked to treatment response in cancer?

The review reports that miR-223-3p is associated with either sensitivity or resistance to treatments, in a context-dependent manner across cancers.

Why is miR-223-3p considered a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker?

It is frequently increased in biological fluids or in extracellular vesicles of many cancers compared with healthy or lower-risk conditions, supporting biomarker applications.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Oliver