Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (
NAFLD) is a complex type of
liver disease that represents an important global health threat. The mechanistic basis of this disease remains incompletely understood. The present study sought to explore whether
microRNA (miR)-506-3p served a functional role in the onset and/or progression of
NAFLD. To that end, high levels of
glucose were used to treat
liver cancer cell lines (HepG2 and Huh7) to model hepatic steatosis, and the expression levels of miR-506-3p and its downstream target genes were assessed. The cells of this hepatic steatosis model were transfected with miR-506-3p mimic molecules to explore the effect of miR-506-3p overexpression on cell viability, target gene expression and
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation. Via bioinformatics approaches,
sirtuin 1 (
SIRT1) was identified as a potential miR-506-3p target gene with relevance in
NAFLD, and this interaction was confirmed via
luciferase reporter assay. In the hepatic steatosis model of the present study, miR-506-3p expression level was significantly increased, whereas
SIRT1 mRNA/
protein levels and AMPK phosphorylation levels were markedly decreased. Transfection of the cells with miR-506-3p mimics led to significant
SIRT1 downregulation, while miR-506-3p inhibitor molecules exhibited the opposite effect, with similar trends observed in the phosphorylation status of AMPK. These results suggested that miR-506-3p can inhibit
SIRT1 expression and associated AMPK phosphorylation in HepG2 and Huh7 cells in an in vitro hepatic steatosis model system. These data indicated that the miR-506-3p/
SIRT1/AMPK axis may be valuable as a therapeutic target in patients affected by
NAFLD.