Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Public Health 2251-6085 49 10 2020 09 29 1931 1939 Jun WANG Department of Burn and Skin Repair Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, China AND Department of Burn and Skin Repair Surgery, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China Jingxin CHEN Department of Oraland Maxillofacial Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, China AND Department of Oraland Maxillofacial Surgery, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China Gang JING Department of Burn and Skin Repair Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, China AND Department of Burn and Skin Repair Surgery, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China Daoquan DONG Department of Burn and Skin Repair Surgery, Hainan General Hospital, Haikou, China AND Department of Burn and Skin Repair Surgery, Hainan Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China 2020 04 08 2020 08 01 Background: To study the effects of long non-coding ribonucleic acid (lncRNA) HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) on the proliferation and apoptosis of malignant melanoma cells, and to explore its specific regulatory mechanism through the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Methods: LncRNA HOTAIR small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were designed and synthesized, and the effects of si-HOTAIR transfection on the proliferation and apoptosis of malignant melanoma cells were detected via cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining assay and flow cytometry, respectively. The gene expressions were determined using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), the changes in NF-κB pathway-related proteins and apoptosis-associated proteins after interference in lncRNA HOTAIR were detected via Western blotting, and the level of NF-κB in each group was determined via ELISA. Results: The results of CCK-8 assay revealed that the cell proliferation rate significantly declined gradually in si-HOTAIR group compared with that in si-NC group and control group (P<0.05). The results of Western blotting and ELISA showed that the activity of NF-κB in si-HOTAIR group was weakened (P<0.05), suggesting that down-regulation of HOTAIR can suppress the activity of NF-κB. Compared with si-NC group and control group, si-HOTAIR group had remarkably increased gene and protein expressions of pro-apoptotic Bax, and remarkably decreased gene and protein expressions of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 (P<0.05), demonstrating that down-regulation of HOTAIR can promote apoptosis. Conclusion: Down-regulation of lncRNA HOTAIR can inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of malignant melanoma cells and suppress the NF-κB pathway. https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/view/20299 https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/download/20299/7009