Objective  To investigate the expression  of microRNA (miR)-513c-5p in cervical cancer and the mechanism  of targeting histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) regulating cervical cancer cell migration and invasion.   Methods  Clinically collected 86 patients with cervical cancer. The levels of miR-513c-5p in tumor tissues and adjacent tissues were detected by Real-time PCR. The relationship between miR-513c-5p and pathological characteristics of cervical cancer was analyzed. It was verified that miR-513c-5p targets HDAC1 by a dual luciferase report. Cervical cancer HeLa cells were divided into four groups: control group, mimic group, mimic+HDAC1 group and HDAC1 group. MiR-513c-5p and(or) HDAC1 were overexpressed by plasmid transfection technology. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression level of RNA or protein, respectively. The cell growth, migration, and invasion capabilities of each group were measured by CCK-8 method , cell scratch test, and Transwell test.   Results  The level of miR-513c-5p in cervical cancer tissues was significantly lower than that in adjacent tissues. Low levels of miR-513c-5p were associated with higher local invasion, lymphatic metastasis, and distal metastasis (P<0.05). MiR-513-5p targeted HDAC1 expression. Overexpression of miR-513c-5p inhibited significantly the growth, migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells (P<0.05). Overexpression of HDAC1 promoted growth, migration and invasion (P<0.05), and reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-513c-5p (P<0.05).   Conclusion  Low levels of miR-513c-5p might be related to cervical cancer metastasis, and miR-513c-5p could inhibit the growth, migration and invasion of cervical cancer HeLa cells by targeted inhibition of HDAC1 protein expression.