Simvastatin inhibits proliferation and promotes apoptosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma through KLF2 signal.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the role and specific mechanism of the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin in inhibiting oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: The proliferation, apoptosis, and migration levels of OSCC cells were detected by CCK8, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, colony formation, TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling assay, and wound healing assay. The inhibitory effect of simvastatin in vivo was detected by a mouse xenograft tumor model. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining were used to assess the KLF2 and ß-catenin expressions in cells and tissues. RESULTS: KLF2 expression in OSCC cells and tissues was downregulated. The addition of KLF2 inducer, GGTI298, inhibited the proliferation and migration of OSCC cells. Simvastatin played a role in inhibiting the proliferation and promoting the apoptosis of OSCC cells. Moreover, it inhibited ß-catenin expression and promoted KLF2 expression in OSCC cells. KLF2 siRNA reversed the effect of simvastatin on the proliferation and apoptosis of OSCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: KLF2, as a tumor suppressor gene, may be an important marker for diagnosing and treating OSCC. Simvastatin inhibits the progression of OSCC by regulating the KLF2 signal.

Oral verrucous xanthoma with oral lichen planus: a case report.

Verrucous xanthoma is a rare benign muco-cutaneous lesion, whereas oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease relatively common in the clinical setting. Verrucous xanthoma and oral lichen planus can reportedly coexist according to foreign literature. Owing to the low incidence of verrucous xanthoma and the rarity of co-occurrence of these two diseases, the mechanism underlying the co-occurrence of the two diseases remains inconclusive. In this work, a case of oral verrucous xanthoma complicated with oral lichen planus was reported. Related literature was reviewed to discuss the clinical classification, pathological classification, and possible pathogenesis of the two diseases.

Lower lip recurrent keratoacanthoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: This paper introduces a case of recurrent keratoacanthoma (KA). KA is a self-healing disease. Recurrence after surgical resection is rare. In this case, the local application of retinoic acid ointment after the second operation achieved a good prognosis after 2 years of follow-up. CASE SUMMARY: A 76-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital for "lower lip rupture and scab for 3 mo". Treatment: A rectangular incision was made in the healthy tissue about 3 mm outside the periphery of the lower lip mass, and a modified Bernard sliding flap was designed to completely remove the mass. Pathology showed (lower lip) KA. When the patient returned 6 mo after surgery, the middle mucosa of the lower lip had a bulge with a diameter of about 0.5 cm. The boundary was still clear, the surface was ulcerated. A recurrence of lower lip KA was suspected and a fan-shaped incision was performed in the healthy tissue about 5 mm outside the lesion to completely resect. Pathological showed lower lip KA had recurred. Topical application of tretinoin cream was applied once a day for 3 mo. The lower lip wounds were clean at the 2-year postoperative follow-up and the mucosa was normal. CONCLUSION: Adjuvant retinoic acid treatment after KA surgical resection can achieve good results.

Diagnostic value of objective VELscope fluorescence methods in distinguishing oral cancer from oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs).

Background: The VELscope fluorescence method has been applied to the identification and detection of oral potentially malignant disorders, but autofluorescence visualization lacks objectivity and its diagnostic value varies greatly. The effectiveness of VELscope in detection of the cancer risk in oral potentially malignant disorders at different lesion sites remains unclear, given that only a few studies have investigated the value of VELscope for detecting high- and low-risk lesions in oral potentially malignant disorders. This study used the objective VELscope fluorescence method based on quantitative analysis to investigate its value in oral potentially malignant disorders for: (I) detecting oral cancer; (II) distinguishing high-risk lesions from low-risk lesions; and (III) measuring differences in oral cancer diagnostic accuracy between different sites. Methods: Conventional oral examination and subjective and objective VELscope examinations were performed on 59 oral potentially malignant disorders; autofluorescence results were compared with histopathological diagnosis. Results: The sensitivity of subjective and objective VELscope fluorescence methods for detecting oral cancer in oral potentially malignant disorders was 76.9% and 65.4%, respectively; specificity for distinguishing high-risk from low-risk lesions in oral potentially malignant disorders was 50.0% and 82.1%, respectively; and sensitivity for detecting oral cancer in oral potentially malignant disorders of lining mucosa was 81.0%, higher than that of the masticatory mucosa. Conclusions: The identification ability for low-risk lesions can be improved by combining it with objective autofluorescence. Autofluorescence has different screening abilities in different parts of the oral mucosa.

Design and Synthesis of Novel PRMT1 Inhibitors and Investigation of Their Effects on the Migration of Cancer Cell.

Protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) can catalyze the protein arginine methylation by transferring the methyl group from S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) to the guanidyl nitrogen atom of protein arginine, which influences a variety of biological processes including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and EMT-mediated mobility of cancer cells. The upregulation of PRMT1 is involved in a diverse range of cancer, such as lung cancer, and there is an urgent need to develop novel and potent PRMT1 inhibitors. In this article, a series of 2,5-substituted furan derivatives and 2,4-substituted thiazole derivatives were designed and synthesized by targeting at the substrate arginine-binding site on PRMT1, and 10 compounds demonstrated significant inhibitory effects against PRMT1. Among them, the most potent inhibitor, compound 1r (WCJ-394), significantly affected the expression of PRMT1-related proteins in A549 cells and downregulated the expression of mesenchymal markers, by which WCJ-394 inhibited the TGF-ß1-induced EMT in A549 cells and prevented the cancer cell migration. The current study demonstrated that WCJ-394 was a potent PRMT1 inhibitor, which could be used as the leading compound for further drug discovery.