Aerobic glycolysis is a prominent feature of cancer. Here, we reported that miR-19a-3p promotes aerobic glycolysis in ovarian cancer cells SKVO3 and ES-2 by increased production of ATP, lactic acid, extracellular acidification (ECAR), and increased expression of PKM2, LDHA, GLUT1 and GLUT3. Further study showed that over-expression of IGFBP3, the target of miR-19a-3p, decreases aerobic glycolysis in ovarian cancer cells, while knockdown of IGFBP3 expression increases aerobic glycolysis. The rescue assay suggested that miR-19a-3p promotes aerobic glycolysis in ovarian cancer cells through targeting IGFBP3. Moreover, over-expression of miR-19a-3p or silencing of IGFBP3 expression promoted activation of AKT, which is important for aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells, indicating that miR-19a-3p promotes aerobic glycolysis in ovarian cancer cells through the IGFBP3/PI3K/AKT pathway. This suggests that miR-19a-3p and IGFBP3 may serve as potential treatment targets of ovarian cancer.
