Fig. 2: miR-379-5p downregulation is required for CSCs maintenance.

A Overexpression of miR-379-5p reduces the enrichment of CD44 + CD117+ cell populations within SKOV3 and OVCAR3 bulk cells following cisplatin treatment. CD44 + CD117+ cells were identified using flow cytometry, and the accompanying graph shows the percentage of CD44 + CD117+ cell enrichment. B Athymic nude mice (n = 5) were injected with either miRControl or miR-379-5p-proficient OVCAR3 cells. Once the tumor diameter reached around 0.5 cm, both groups of mice received weekly treatments with PBS or cisplatin (5 mg/Kg body weight) for 3 weeks. C Representative images of the tumors 3 weeks after the initial drug treatment. D Quantification of the time-dependent progression in tumor volume, measured with calipers. E After the mice were sacrificed, tumor weights were determined in grams. F The graph shows that xenograft cells with miR-379-5p overexpression exhibit a reduced enrichment of CD44 + CD117+ cell populations in response to cisplatin treatment (n = 3, Bar, SD; Significance levels indicated as *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 and ****P < 0.0001).