Impact of Interleukin-6 on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Among the South Indian Population.

Introduction Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in research and treatment, the survival rate of OSCC patients has not changed considerably in recent years. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a proinflammatory cytokine that is involved in the development of various cancers including OSCC. The role of IL-6 is being studied in various cancers; however, its exact mechanism of action in OSCC among the South Indian population has not yet been studied. Thus, the current study aims to evaluate and assess the impact of IL-6 on OSCC among the South Indian population. Materials and methods Twenty tissues from OSCC patients and 20 normal tissues surrounding the same area from normal people were gathered from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital. The tissues were prepared for expression investigations and hematoxylin and eosin staining. The data was presented as mean ± standard deviation, with statistical significance at p<0.05. Results Our results indicate that, in comparison to normal tissues, OSCC samples had increased IL-6 expression levels (p<0.05). Conclusion We conclude that IL-6 has been identified as a key oncogene in the development of tumors and their spread in several types of cancers, including OSCC. Therefore, IL-6 can be used as a potential diagnostic or prognostic biomarker and the use of IL-6 inhibitors can be formulated as a potential treatment for OSCC.

Effect of the Protein Kinase B (PKB) Gene on the Carcinogenesis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the South Indian Population.

INTRODUCTION: The most common head and neck cancer is oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). It is also one of the most prevalent forms of cancer globally. The current pharmacological treatment strategy for oral cancer lacks specificity and is capable of causing various side effects. This fact highlights the increasing need for targeted therapy. Interestingly, protein kinase B (PKB), commonly referred to as the AKT serine/threonine kinase, is an oncogenic protein that controls cell development, proliferation, apoptosis, and glycogen metabolism. Thus, the present study analyzed the AKT gene expression in OSCC patient samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 25 OSCC tissue samples and normal tissue samples were collected from the patients who reported to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals in Chennai, India. The tissues were processed for H&E staining for histopathological confirmation, and expression studies of the AKT gene were done on both healthy and proven OSCC tissue samples. The data were shown as mean ± standard deviation, and p<0.05* was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: The quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed that the AKT gene had been significantly upregulated in the OSCC tissue samples when compared to normal tissues (p<0.05). Moreover, upregulated AKT is postulated to be involved in increased cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis in OSCC. CONCLUSION: The gene expression analysis was done in the samples of histologically confirmed OSCC, and it revealed that the AKT gene was significantly upregulated in OSCC tissues. Thus, AKT could be postulated as a potential therapeutic target for OSCC.

Expression levels of microRNA-7110 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and it is responsible for more than 95% of head and neck cancers. Despite advancements in research and treatment, patient's survival has not significantly increased in recent years. On the other hand, microRNAs (miRNAs) are a major class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression of the target mRNAs. Thus, understanding the mechanisms behind OSCC formation and progression may lead to the identification of potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic molecules for the treatment of OSCC. The aim of the current study was to analyze expression levels of miR-7110 in OSCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues as it could provide insights into its potential role in OSCC development or progression as a valuable biomarker. METHODS: A total of 20 OSCC and adjacent normal tissues were collected from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals (Chennai, India). The tissues were processed for hematoxylin and eosin staining and expression studies. The data were shown as mean±standard deviation and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Our histopathological observations revealed an invasive malignant epithelial neoplasm with malignant epithelial cells exhibiting features of severe epithelial dysplasia invading the connective tissue stroma as islands, strands and cords with varying degrees of differentiation. Our results have also revealed that the expression levels of miR-7110 were found to be significantly higher in OSCC samples when compared to the normal tissue. CONCLUSIONS: We can preliminarily conclude that based on the increased expression of miR-7110 in OSCC tissue samples, they can be used as an early diagnostic or prognostic biomarker and/or a therapeutic target for the treatment of OSCC even though more focused research in that direction is needed.