Sevoflurane inhibits neuroblastoma cell proliferation and invasion and induces apoptosis by miR‐144‐3p/YAP1 axis

Abstract Background Sevoflurane (SEV) is a typical volatile anaesthetic and has an antitumour activity in various cancer cells. Here, we were curious whether SEV has tumour‐suppressive effects in neuroblastoma (NB). Methods NB cell lines (K‐N‐SH and SK‐N‐AS) were treated with SEV (1%, 2% and 4%). Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK8) and Transwell assays were conducted to examine cell proliferation and invasion, respectively. The apoptosis was verified by flow cytometry, and the yes‐associated protein 1 (YAP1), Bax, Bcl2 and cleaved caspase3 levels were detected by western blotting. Quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR) was conducted to monitor the miR‐144‐3p level in SEV‐treated NB cells. The targeted relationship between miR‐144‐3p and YAP1 was predicted by bioinformatics and testified by the dual‐luciferase reporter assay. Results SEV mitigated NB cell proliferation and invasion and strengthened apoptosis dose‐dependently. SEV upregulated miR‐144‐3p. Moreover, the miR‐144‐3p inhibitor transfection significantly reduced the tumour‐suppressive effect of SEV on NB cells. Furthermore, the dual‐luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR‐144‐3p targeted YAP1 and overexpressing YAP1 partially weakened the inhibitive effects of miR‐144‐3p on NB cells. Conclusion SEV abated NB cell proliferation and invasion and accelerated apoptosis through the miR‐144‐3p/YAP1 axis.