Abstract
MicroRNA (miR)-338-5p has been studied in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the diagnostic value and molecular mechanism underlying its actions remains to be elucidated. The present study aimed to validate the diagnostic ability of miR‑338‑5p and further explore the underlying molecular mechanism. Data from eligible studies, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) chips and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets were gathered in the data mining and the integrated meta‑analysis, to evaluate the significance of miR‑338‑5p in diagnosing HCC comprehensively. The potential target genes of miR‑338‑5p were achieved from the intersection of the deregulated targets of miR‑338‑5p from GEO and TCGA in addition to the predicted target genes from 12 online software. A protein‑protein‑interaction (PPI) network was drawn to illustrate the interaction between target genes and to define the hub genes. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed to investigate the function of the target genes. From the results, miR‑338‑5p exhibited favorable value in diagnosing HCC. Types of sample and experiment were defined as the possible sources of heterogeneity in meta‑analysis. A total of 423 genes were selected as the potential target genes of miR‑338‑5p, and five genes were defined as the hub genes from the PPI network. The GO and KEGG analyses indicated that the target genes were significantly assembled in the pathways of metabolic process and cell cycle. miR‑338‑5p may function as a novel diagnostic target for HCC through regulating certain target genes and signaling pathways.