scholarly journals Metformin Affects Cancer Regulation and Metabolism of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Partially Through Upregulation of H3K27ac 

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Liu ◽  
Congyu Shi ◽  
Xiaoru Hou ◽  
Chunjie Li ◽  
Xiangrui Ma ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Metformin, a first-line drug that has been used for type 2 diabetes treatment, recently attracts broad attention for its therapeutic effects on diverse human cancers. However, its effect and underlying mechanisms in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are not well known. Materials and Methods OSCC cells were used to detect the effect of metformin on cell proliferation, colony formation, cell cycle and migration in vitro. Tumor growth of nude mice was conducted to detect the effect of metformin in vivo. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to investigate the effect of metformin on the expression of histone modification in vitro and vivo. The combined effect on cell proliferation and histone modification of metformin and downregulation of EZH2 was detected by CCK8 and western blotting. Additionally, RNA-seq and ChIP-seq was performed to explore the underlying mechanisms of metformin in OSCC.Results Metformin could inhibit OSCC cell proliferation and tumor growth with the increased acetylation at lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27ac) in vitro and vivo. The underlying mechanisms were related to cancer regulation and cancer metabolism, affected by the increased H3K27ac. Additionally, metformin could synergize with siRNA-EZH2 to inhibit OSCC cell proliferation independent on the increased H3K27ac.Conclusions Metformin could play anti-cancer role in OSCC progression, with the reprogramming of cancer regulation and metabolism partially regulated by the increased H3K27ac.

BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Zhou ◽  
Shuhong Zhang ◽  
Zhonghan Min ◽  
Zhongwei Yu ◽  
Huaiwei Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of current research is to elucidate the role and mechanism of circ_0011946 in the functional behaviors of OSCC cells. Methods Circ_0011946, microRNA (miR)-216a-5p, B cell lymphoma-2-like 2 protein (BCL2L2) abundances were exposed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) or western blot. Cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis were detected by MTT, colony formation assay, transwell, wound-healing and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Target correlation was tested by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. An in vivo xenograft experiment was employed to investigate the function of circ_0011946 on tumor growth in vivo. Results Circ_0011946 and BCL2L2 levels were increased, while miR-216a-5p level was decreased in OSCC tissues and cells. Circ_0011946 knockdown impeded proliferation, migration, and invasion, but promoted apoptosis in OSCC cells. Circ_0011946 functioned as a sponge for miR-216a-5p, and BCL2L2 was targeted by miR-216a-5p. Besides, miR-216a-5p or BCL2L2 knockdown partly attenuated the inhibitory influences of circ_0011946 silence or miR-216a-5p overexpression on OSCC cell progression. Furthermore, circ_0011946 post-transcriptionally regulated BCL2L2 through sponging miR-216a-5p. Moreover, circ_0011946 knockdown constrained OSCC tumor growth in vivo. Conclusion Circ_0011946 silence repressed OSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, but promoted apoptosis through the regulation of the miR-216a-5p/BCL2L2 axis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ze-nan Zheng ◽  
Guang-zhao Huang ◽  
Qing-qing Wu ◽  
Heng-yu Ye ◽  
Wei-sen Zeng ◽  
...  

AbstractOral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common oral cancer. The molecular mechanisms of this disease are not fully understood. Our previous studies confirmed that dysregulated function of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) AC007271.3 was associated with a poor prognosis and overexpression of AC007271.3 promoted cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and inhibited cell apoptosis in vitro, and promoted tumor growth in vivo. However, the underlying mechanisms of AC007271.3 dysregulation remained obscure. In this study, our investigation showed that AC007271.3 functioned as competing endogenous RNA by binding to miR-125b-2-3p and by destabilizing primary miR-125b-2, resulted in the upregulating expression of Slug, which is a direct target of miR-125b-2-3p. Slug also inhibited the expression of E-cadherin but N-cadherin, vimentin, and β-catenin had no obvious change. The expression of AC007271.3 was promoted by the canonical nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway. Taken together, these results suggested that the classical NF-κB pathway-activated AC007271.3 regulates EMT by miR-125b-2-3p/Slug/E-cadherin axis to promote the development of OSCC, implicating it as a novel potential target for therapeutic intervention in this disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Celentano ◽  
Callisthenis Yiannis ◽  
Rita Paolini ◽  
Pangzhen Zhang ◽  
Camile S. Farah ◽  
...  

Abstract Kava is a beverage made from the ground roots of the plant Piper Methysticum. Active compounds of Kava have previously been demonstrated to exert an antiproliferative effect through cell cycle arrest and promotion of apoptosis. Our aim was to investigate the in vitro effects of the main constituents derived from Kava on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) activity. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) was used to characterise the main constituents of two Kava preparations. Cell proliferation was assessed in two human OSCC cell lines (H400 and BICR56) and in normal oral keratinocytes (OKF6) treated with the identified Kava constituents, namely Flavokawain A (FKA), Flavokawain B (FKB), yangonin, kavain and methysticin using an MTS in vitro assay. Cell migration at 16 h was assessed using a Transwell migration assay. Cell invasion was measured at 22 h using a Matrigel assay. Cell adhesion was assessed at 90 min with a Cytoselect Adhesion assay. The two Kava preparations contained substantially different concentrations of the main chemical constituents. Treatment of malignant and normal oral keratinocyte cell lines with three of the identified constituents, 10 μg/ml FKA, 2.5 μg/ml FKB and 10 μg/ml yangonin, showed a significant reduction in cell proliferation in both H400 and BICR56 cancer cell lines but not in normal OKF6 cells. Remarkably, the same Kava constituents induced a significant reduction of OSCC cell migration and invasion. We have demonstrated, for the first time, that Kava constituents, FKA, FKB and yangonin have potential anticancer effects on OSCC. This highlights an avenue for further research of Kava constituents in the development of future cancer therapies to prevent and treat OSCC.


Author(s):  
Zhirong Li ◽  
Xuebo Qin ◽  
Wei Bian ◽  
Yishuai Li ◽  
Baoen Shan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In recent years, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are of great importance in development of different types of tumors, while the function of lncRNA ZFAS1 is rarely discussed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Therefore, we performed this study to explore the expression of exosomal lncRNA ZFAS1 and its molecular mechanism on ESCC progression. Methods Expression of ZFAS1 and miR-124 in ESCC tissues was detected. LncRNA ZFAS1 was silenced to detect its function in the biological functions of ESCC cells. A stable donor and recipient culture model was established. Eca109 cells transfected with overexpressed and low expressed ZFAS1 plasmid and miR-124 inhibitor labeled by Cy3 were the donor cells, and then co-cultured with recipient cells to observe the transmission of Cy3-ZFAS1 between donor cells and recipient cells. The changes of cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and migration in recipient cells were detected. The in vivo experiment was conducted for verifying the in vitro results. Results LncRNA ZFAS1 was upregulated and miR-124 was down-regulated in ESCC tissues. Silencing of ZFAS1 contributed to suppressed proliferation, migration, invasion and tumor growth in vitro and induced apoptosis of ESCC cells. LncRNA ZFAS1 was considered to be a competing endogenous RNA to regulate miR-124, thereby elevating STAT3 expression. Exosomes shuttled ZFAS1 stimulated proliferation, migration and invasion of ESCC cells and restricted their apoptosis with increased STAT3 and declined miR-124. Furthermore, in vivo experiment suggested that elevated ZFAS1-exo promoted tumor growth in nude mice. Conclusion This study highlights that exosomal ZFAS1 promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of ESCC cells and inhibits their apoptosis by upregulating STAT3 and downregulating miR-124, thereby resulting in the development of tumorigenesis of ESCC.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofeng Qi ◽  
Wengguang Xu ◽  
Junqi Xie ◽  
Yufeng Wang ◽  
Shengwei Han ◽  
...  

Abstract Resistance towards chemotherapy is a common complication in treatment of oral cancers, which leads to treatment failure and poor outcome. In recent years, a growing body of evidence has shown that tumour hypoxia significantly contributes to chemoresistance. Metformin, a widely used oral hypoglycaemic drug, can reportedly potentiate the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs in various cancers; however, the underlying mechanisms are intricate and have not been fully understood. In this study, we explored the role of metformin in chemosensitivity of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells (OSCC) to cisplatin both in vitro and in vivo, and attempted to elucidate its possible underlying mechanisms. Encouragingly, we found that metformin synergistically enhanced cisplatin cytotoxicity and reversed the chemoresistance to certain extent. This mechanism could likely be related with inhibition of the NF-κB/HIF-1α signal axis and lead to the downregulation of hypoxia-regulated genes products. Therefore, metformin could serve as a chemosensitiser for cisplatin-based regimens for OSCC, thereby providing a theoretical basis for future use in the treatment of oral cancers.


Author(s):  
Yixiu Yu ◽  
Jiamei Niu ◽  
Xingwei Zhang ◽  
Xue Wang ◽  
Hongquan Song ◽  
...  

ORAL squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a malignant tumor with the highest incidence among tumors involving the oral cavity maxillofacial region, and is notorious for its high recurrence and metastasis potential. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), which regulate the genesis and evolution of cancers, are potential prognostic biomarkers. This study identified HOTAIRM1 as a novel significantly upregulated lncRNA in OSCC, which is strongly associated with unfavorable prognosis of OSCC. Systematic bioinformatics analyses demonstrated that HOTAIRM1 was closely related to tumor stage, overall survival, genome instability, the tumor cell stemness, the tumor microenvironment, and immunocyte infiltration. Using biological function prediction methods, including Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and Gene set variation analysis (GSVA), HOTAIRM1 plays a pivotal role in OSCC cell proliferation, and is mainly involved in the regulation of the cell cycle. In vitro, cell loss-functional experiments confirmed that HOTAIRM1 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation of OSCC cells, and arrested the cell cycle in G1 phase. At the molecular level, PCNA and CyclinD1 were obviously reduced after HOTAIRM1 knockdown. The expression of p53 and p21 was upregulated while CDK4 and CDK6 expression was decreased by HOTAIRM1 knockdown. In vivo, knocking down HOTAIRM1 significantly inhibited tumor growth, including the tumor size, weight, volume, angiogenesis, and hardness, monitored by ultrasonic imaging and magnetic resonance imaging In summary, our study reports that HOTAIRM1 is closely associated with tumorigenesis of OSCC and promotes cell proliferation by regulating cell cycle. HOTAIRM1 could be a potential prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for OSCC.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 153303382095940
Author(s):  
Kui Li ◽  
Zheng Zhou ◽  
Ju Li ◽  
Rui Xiang

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) represents more than 90% of all oral cancer and is the most common oral threat around the world. In this study, we examined the roles of miR-146b in OSCC cells. The miR-146b expression in OSCC tissues and cell lines was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). MTT assay was used to investigate the impact of miR-146b on the growth of OSCC cells in vitro. Transwell assay was utilized to analyze the effect of miR-146b on the migration and invasion of OSCC cells. Target prediction and luciferase assay were employed to demonstrate the interaction between miR-146b and HMG-Box Transcription Factor 1 (HBP1). Western blot was carried out to investigate the protein expressions of HBP1 related genes. miR-146b expression was significantly higher in OSCC tissues and cells compared with paired normal tissues and normal oral keratinocyte cells. Inhibition of miR-146b decreased cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of OSCC cells. Further studies found that HBP1 was a direct target of miR-146b. Co-inhibition of HBP1 reversed the suppressive impact of miR-146b inhibition on OSCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In conclusion-ourresults reveal that miR-146b potentially regulates the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OSCC cells through binding and downregulating HBP1 expression in OSCC cells.


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