Abstract
Neuroblastoma (NB) is considered a highly prevalent extracranial solid tumor in young children, and the upregulation of N‑myc proto‑oncogene (MYCN) is closely associated with the late stages of NB and poor prognostic outcomes. The current study was designed to evaluate the effects of exosomal microRNA (miRNA/miR)‑17‑5p from MYCN‑amplified NB cells on the proliferative and migratory potential of non‑MYCN amplified NB cells. miR‑17‑5p was found to activate the PI3K/Akt signaling cascade by targeting PTEN, and the overexpression of miR‑17‑5p was found to promote cellular migration and proliferation in vitro. Further experimentation revealed that the elevated expression of miR‑17‑5p in SK‑N‑BE(2) cell‑derived exosomes significantly promoted the proliferative and migratory capacities of SH‑SY5Y cells by inhibiting PTEN. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that miR‑17‑5p derived from MYCN‑amplified NB cell exosomes promoted the migration and proliferation of non‑MYCN amplified cells, highlighting an exosome‑associated malignant role for miR‑17‑5p.