Colorectal cancer (CRC), one of the most prevalent malignant cancers, has high rates pf incidence and is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths for both men and women worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical roles in the development of various types of cancers. miRNA‑330-5p has been implicated in the progression of prostate, neuronal and pancreatic cancers by regulating proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of cells. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the expression of miR-330-5p in CRC and identify its target gene(s) that may act in CRC tumorigenesis. We found that miR-330-5p expression was significantly lower in CRC tissues than that in adjacent non-tumorous tissues. Furthermore, we identified integrin α5 (ITGA5) as a new target of miR-330-5p and found that it inhibits ITGA5 expression by directly binding to the 3' untranslated region of ITGA5 mRNA. These results suggest that downregulation of miR-330-5p expression may affect CRC development via modulation of ITGA5 expression.