Stable Loading and Delivery of Icaritin Using PEG–PCL Micelles for Ef-fective Treatment of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background:: Icaritin can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC). However, low solubility limits its clinical usage. Objectives:: To improve the efficacy of icaritin treatment, a micelle system was designed for targeted delivery of drugs to OSCC cells. Methods:: In the present study, the micelles loaded with icaritin were self-assembled from the amphipathic polymer via film dispersion. Nanoparticles were characterized with the transmission electron microscope and dynamic light scattering. The cytotoxicity of icaritin nanoparticles was analyzed by CCK-8, and in vitro target-selective intracellular uptake behaviors were observed using a laser confocal microscope. Results:: The micelles were spherical with the mean diameter of 121.2 nm. In vitro studies revealed that icaritin was stablely and slowly released from micelles. Cytotoxicity analysis demonstrated that icartin-loaded micelles exhibited better therapeu-tic efficacy compared with free icaritin. Cellular uptake and intracellular release results revealed that micelles efficiently de-livered icaritin into OSCC cells. Conclusion:: These results suggest that encapsulated icaritin in polycaprolactone - polyethylene glycol (PCL-PEG) micelles may provide safe and effective drug delivery in OSCC treatments.

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Cyclosporine A Suppresses the Malignant Progression of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in vitro

Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.2174/1871520618666181029170605 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 248-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ling Gao ◽

Jianwei Dong ◽

Nanyang Zhang ◽

Zhanxian Le ◽

Wenhao Ren ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Cycle ◽

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Cyclosporine A ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Signal Molecules ◽

Cox 2

Background:The Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most frequent cancer types. Failure of treatment of OSCC is potentially lethal because of local recurrence, regional lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. Chemotherapy plays a vital role through suppression of tumorigenesis. Cyclosporine A (CsA), an immunosuppressant drug, has been efficiently used in allograft organ transplant recipients to prevent rejection, and also has been used in a subset of patients with autoimmunity related disorders. The present study aims to investigate novel and effective chemotherapeutic drugs to overcome drug-resistance in the treatment of OSCC.Methods:Cells were incubated in the standard way. Cell viability was assayed using the MTT assay. Cell proliferation was determined using colony formation assay. The cell cycle assay was performed using flow cytometry. Apoptosis was assessed using fluorescence-activated cell sorting after stained by the Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). Cell migration and invasion were analyzed using wound healing assay and tranwell. The effect of COX-2, c-Myc, MMP-9, MMP-2, and NFATc1 protein expression was determined using Western blot analysis while NFATc1 mRNA expression was determined by RT-PCR.Results:In vitro studies indicated that CsA inhibited partial OSCC growth by inducing cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and the migration and invasion of OSCC cells. We also demonstrated that CsA could inhibit the expression of NFATc1 and its downstream genes COX-2, c-Myc, MMP-9, and MMP-2 in OSCC cells. Furthermore, we analyzed the expression of NFATc1 in head and neck cancer through the Oncomine database. The data was consistent with the experimental findings.Conclusion:The present study initially demonstrated that CsA could inhibit the progression of OSCC cells and can mediate the signal molecules of NFATc1 signaling pathway, which has strong relationship with cancer development. That explains us CsA has potential to explore the possibilities as a novel chemotherapeutic drug for the treatment of OSCC.

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Downregulation of ceramide synthase 1 promotes oral cancer through endoplasmic reticulum stress

International Journal of Oral Science ◽

10.1038/s41368-021-00118-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Wen Chen ◽

Chenzhou Wu ◽

Yafei Chen ◽

Yuhao Guo ◽

Ling Qiu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽

Oral Cancer ◽

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Ceramide Synthase

AbstractC18 ceramide plays an important role in the occurrence and development of oral squamous cell carcinoma. However, the function of ceramide synthase 1, a key enzyme in C18 ceramide synthesis, in oral squamous cell carcinoma is still unclear. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between ceramide synthase 1 and oral cancer. In this study, we found that the expression of ceramide synthase 1 was downregulated in oral cancer tissues and cell lines. In a mouse oral squamous cell carcinoma model induced by 4-nitroquinolin-1-oxide, ceramide synthase 1 knockout was associated with the severity of oral malignant transformation. Immunohistochemical studies showed significant upregulation of PCNA, MMP2, MMP9, and BCL2 expression and downregulation of BAX expression in the pathological hyperplastic area. In addition, ceramide synthase 1 knockdown promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Overexpression of CERS1 obtained the opposite effect. Ceramide synthase 1 knockdown caused endoplasmic reticulum stress and induced the VEGFA upregulation. Activating transcription factor 4 is responsible for ceramide synthase 1 knockdown caused VEGFA transcriptional upregulation. In addition, mild endoplasmic reticulum stress caused by ceramide synthase 1 knockdown could induce cisplatin resistance. Taken together, our study suggests that ceramide synthase 1 is downregulated in oral cancer and promotes the aggressiveness of oral squamous cell carcinoma and chemotherapeutic drug resistance.

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Thermally activated delayed fluorescent photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy of oral squamous cell carcinoma under low laser intensity

Journal of Materials Chemistry B ◽

10.1039/d1tb00719j ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shiqi Hu ◽

Bin Huang ◽

Yumei Pu ◽

Chengwan Xia ◽

Qian Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Photodynamic Therapy ◽

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽

Cell Carcinoma ◽

Squamous Cell ◽

Laser Intensity ◽

Thermally Activated

In this report, a new Thermally activated delayed fluorescent(TADF) molecule [2-(4-triphenylvinyl-phenyl)-anthraquinone (TPE-AQ)] was synthesized. This nanomaterial has satisfactory photostability. In vitro, it was indicated that these TADF nanoparticles (NPs) were...

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