Skip to main content
. 2025 May 23;14:65–95. doi: 10.1016/j.ncrna.2025.05.012

Table 4.

miRNAs and their targets involved in CRC chemoresistance.

miRNA Key Targets Pathways Affected Role in CRC References
miR-145-5p BIRC5, Fli-1 Apoptosis, Drug resistance Sensitizes CRC cells to 5-FU by repression of Fli-1; potential target of BIRC5; downregulated in CRC and associated with oxaliplatin resistance [389,401,402]
miR-150-5p BIRC5 Apoptosis Regulates apoptosis by targeting BIRC5; downregulation linked to CRC progression [389]
miR-195-5p BIRC5, BCL2, BCL2L2, YAP Apoptosis, Drug resistance, Hippo-YAP Downregulated in CRC; sensitizes cells to oxaliplatin and 5-FU by targeting BCL2 and BCL2L2; promotes apoptosis; overexpression inhibits tumorigenicity; associated with 5-FU resistance in HT29/DOX and LOVO/DOX cells [123,124,389,394]
miR-650 BIRC5 Apoptosis Potential regulator of apoptosis by targeting BIRC5 [389]
miR-92a-3p CSF2RB Apoptosis Targets CSF2RB; involved in apoptosis regulation [389]
miR-20b-5p CTSS, ADAM9, EGFR Apoptosis, EMT Downregulated in 5-FU-resistant CRC cells; resensitizes CRC cells to 5-FU by inducing apoptosis and repressing ADAM9 and EGFR [389,410]
miR-501-3p CTSS Apoptosis Potential regulator of CTSS and apoptosis in CRC [389]
miR-497-5p KSR1, BCL2, IGF1-R Apoptosis, Drug resistance, EMT Downregulated in CRC; sensitizes cells to oxaliplatin and 5-FU; promotes apoptosis by targeting IGF1-R and BCL2; inhibits EMT and cell proliferation; enhances chemosensitivity [117,120,394,395]
miR-125-5p MSI1, BCL2, Mcl-1, CXCR4 Apoptosis, EMT, Autophagy Tumor suppressor in CRC; downregulation leads to resistance to FOLFOX; targets BCL2, BCL2L12, and Mcl-1; modulates CXCR4 and APC signaling; also involved in drug resistance and autophagy [396,[398], [399], [400]]
miR-34a SIRT1, E2F3, OAZ2 Apoptosis, Drug resistance, EMT Downregulated in 5-FU-resistant CRC cells; targets SIRT1, E2F3, and OAZ2; sensitizes multidrug-resistant CRC cells to 5-FU and oxaliplatin treatment [[405], [406], [407]]
miR-19b-3p SMAD4 Apoptosis, Drug resistance Mediates oxaliplatin resistance by targeting SMAD4; overexpressed in patients with poor prognosis; inhibition of its exosomal secretion enhances oxaliplatin sensitivity [408,409]
miR-17-5p PTEN Apoptosis, Drug resistance Upregulated in chemoresistant CRC; promotes invasiveness and multidrug resistance (MDR) by targeting PTEN [180]
miR-143 HK II Glycolysis, Apoptosis, Drug resistance Downregulated in CRC and 5-FU-resistant CRC cells; inhibits glycolysis by targeting HK II, resensitizes cells to 5-FU; inhibits proliferation and migration [86,100,403]
miR-206 Bcl-2 Apoptosis, Drug resistance Downregulated in CRC; promotes drug resistance by targeting Bcl-2 [411]
miR-133b DOT1L Stemness, Chemoresistance Tumor suppressor miRNA; downregulated in CRC; reduces CRC stemness and abrogates chemoresistance to 5-FU and oxaliplatin by targeting DOT1L [412]
miR-203 ATM, HOTAIR DNA damage response, Drug resistance Upregulated in oxaliplatin-resistant CRC lines; downregulation sensitizes cells to oxaliplatin by targeting ATM [375,413]
miR-192/215 TYMS S-phase, Drug resistance Downregulated in CRC; modulates TYMS expression, which affects the efficacy of fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy [414,415]
miR-200 family - EMT, Drug resistance Associated with better prognosis in CRC patients treated with fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy; high levels correlate with longer survival [416]