Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in the initiation and advancement of diverse tumors. CircRNA hsa_circ_0069094 (circ_0069094) has been reported to be upregulated in BC, but the biological role of circ_0069094 in BC is indistinct. Hence, we aimed to survey the biological role of circ_0069094 in BC. In the present study, we verified that circ_0069094 was upregulated in BC tissues and cells. BC patients with high circ_0069094 expression had a poor prognosis. Functional analysis revealed that circ_0069094 silencing induced apoptosis, curbed proliferation, and reduced glycolysis in BC cells in vitro, but circ_0069094 overexpression had an opposing influence. Also, circ_0069094 knockdown reduced BC growth in vivo. Mechanically, circ_0069094 was validated as a decoy for miR-591, which targeted HK2. Importantly, circ_0069094 sponged miR-591 to regulate HK2 expression. Both miR-591 silencing and HK2 overexpression counteracted circ_0069094 inhibition-mediated influence on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and glycolysis in BC cells. In conclusion, these results indicated that circ_0069094 facilitated cell malignancy and glycolysis by upregulating HK2 through adsorbing miR-591, suggesting that circ_0069094 might be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for BC.

环状 RNA (circRNA) 与多种肿瘤的发生和发展有关。据报道，circRNA hsa_circ_0069094 (circ_0069094) 在 BC 中上调，但 circ_0069094 在 BC 中的生物学作用尚不清楚。因此，我们旨在调查 circ_0069094 在 BC 中的生物学作用。在本研究中，我们验证了 circ_0069094 在 BC 组织和细胞中上调。circ_0069094 高表达的 BC 患者预后较差。功能分析表明，circ_0069094 沉默在体外诱导 BC 细胞凋亡、抑制增殖和减少糖酵解，但 circ_0069094 过表达具有相反的影响。此外，circ_0069094 敲低减少了体内 BC 的生长。机械地，circ_0069094 被验证为 miR-591 的诱饵，靶向 HK2。重要的，circ_0069094 吸收 miR-591 来调节 HK2 的表达。miR-591 沉默和 HK2 过表达都抵消了 circ_0069094 抑制介导的对 BC 细胞增殖、凋亡和糖酵解的影响。总之，这些结果表明 circ_0069094 通过吸附 miR-591 上调 HK2 促进细胞恶性和糖酵解，这表明 circ_0069094 可能是 BC 的预后生物标志物和治疗靶点。