pyrimidinones and Tongue-Neoplasms

Excessive glucose metabolism and disruptions in Wnt signaling are important molecular changes present in oral cancer cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the combinatorial use of glycolysis and Wnt signaling inhibitors on viability, cytotoxicity, apoptosis induction, cell cycle distribution and the glycolytic activity of tongue carcinoma cells. CAL 27, SCC-25 and BICR 22 tongue cancer cell lines were used. Cells were treated with inhibitors of glycolysis (2-deoxyglucose and lonidamine) and of Wnt signaling (PRI-724 and IWP-O1). The effects of the compounds on cell viability and cytotoxicity were evaluated with MTS and CellTox Green tests, respectively. Apoptosis was evaluated by MitoPotential Dye staining and cell cycle distribution by staining with propidium iodide, followed by flow cytometric cell analysis. Glucose and lactate concentrations in a culture medium were evaluated luminometrically. Combinations of 2-deoxyglucose and lonidamine with Wnt pathway inhibitors were similarly effective in the impairment of oral cancer cells' survival. However, the inhibition of the canonical Wnt pathway by PRI-724 was more beneficial, based on the glycolytic activity of the cells. The results point to the therapeutic potential of the combination of low concentrations of glycolytic modulators with Wnt pathway inhibitors in oral cancer cells.

Topics: Apoptosis; Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; Cell Cycle; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Deoxyglucose; Glucose; Glycolysis; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Indazoles; Pyrimidinones; Tongue; Tongue Neoplasms; Wnt Signaling Pathway

Several members of the transient receptor potential (TRP)-channel family are expressed in cancer cells. One, cold/menthol-sensitive TRPM8, is reportedly an important player in carcinogenesis in human prostate cancer, although its involvement in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remains unclear. The present immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR results revealed intense TRPM8 expression in two SCC cell lines, HSC3 and HSC4, derived from the human tongue. Menthol, icilin, and a more specific TRPM8 agonist (WS-12) induced non-specific cation currents, with Ca2+ permeability being greater than that of Na+ or K+. The novel TRPM8 antagonist RQ-00203078 (RQ) profoundly reduced such agonist-induced cation currents. Intracellular Ca2+ imaging revealed that menthol induced both intracellular Ca2+ release and store-operated Ca2+ entry, with RQ inhibiting each effect. To assess the possible pathophysiological role of TRPM8 in oral SCC, we performed motility and invasion assays, and gelatin zymography. Menthol augmented the migration and invasion abilities of both HSC3 and HSC4 cells by potentiating MMP-9 activity. RQ suppressed all of these effects. These results may aid understanding of the pathophysiological implications of TRPM8 channels in the oral SCC cells, support TRP proteins as valuable targets for pharmaceutical intervention, and inform the targeting of oral SCC in which the prognosis is poor.

Topics: Anilides; Antineoplastic Agents; Calcium Signaling; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement; Cell Proliferation; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; Membrane Potentials; Menthol; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Patch-Clamp Techniques; Pyrimidinones; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; Tongue Neoplasms; TRPM Cation Channels