Abstract

The present study determined the expression of microRNA (miR)‑663 in hypertrophic scar (HS) tissues and investigate the regulatory mechanisms of miR‑663 in HS. A total of 51 patients diagnosed with HS between December 2013 and February 2016 were included in the present study. HS tissues (experimental group) and HS‑adjacent tissues (control group) were collected. Primary fibroblasts were obtained from HS tissue and transfected with small‑interfering RNA against transforming growth factor (TGF)‑β1 or miR‑663 mimics. Reverse‑transcription quantitative PCR was used to determine the levels of TGF‑β1 mRNA and miR‑663. Western blot analysis was performed to determine TGF‑β1 protein expression. An MTT assay was employed to detect the proliferation of fibroblasts, and a dual luciferase reporter assay was performed to identify the binding of miR‑663 with TGF‑β1 mRNA. TGF‑β1 was found to have a regulatory role in HS at the transcriptional level. The expression of TGF‑β1 was upregulated in HS tissues, and knockdown of TGF‑β1 in cultured fibroblasts led to inhibition of proliferation. The expression of miR‑663 was downregulated in HS. miR‑663 was revealed to regulate the expression of TGF‑β1 by binding with the 3'‑untranslated region of TGF‑β1 mRNA. Elevated expression of miR‑663 inhibited the proliferation of fibroblasts by regulating TGF‑β1 expression. The present study demonstrated that upregulation of TGF‑β1 in HS tissues is associated with the downregulation of miR‑663 expression. miR‑663 may regulate the proliferation of fibroblasts in HS and the expression of associated proteins.