No abstract

In summary, resveratrol inhibited MMP-9 expression and oral cancer cell metastasis by downregulating JNK1/2 and ERK1/2 signals pathways and, thus, exerts beneficial effects in chemoprevention.

Although epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) has previously been shown to promote tumor progression, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we report that the EGF-like domain I within the extracellular domain of EpCAM (EpEX) binds EGFR, activating both AKT and MAPK signaling to inhibit forkhead transcription factor O3a (FOXO3a) function and stabilize PD-L1 protein, respectively. Treatment with the EpCAM neutralizing antibody, EpAb2-6, inhibited AKT and FOXO3a phosphorylation, increased FOXO3a nuclear translocation, and upregulated high temperature requirement A2 (HtrA2) expression to promote apoptosis while decreasing PD-L1 protein levels to enhance the cytotoxic activity of CD8 þ T cells. In vivo, EpAb2-6 markedly extended survival in mouse metastasis and orthotopic models of human colorectal cancer. The combination of EpAb2-6 with atezolizumab, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, almost completely eliminated tumors. Moreover, the number of CD8 þ T cells in combination-treated tumors was increased compared with atezolizumab alone. Our findings suggest a new combination strategy for cancer immunotherapy in patients with EpCAM-expressing tumors.Significance: This study shows that treatment with an EpCAM neutralizing antibody promotes apoptosis while decreasing PD-L1 protein to enhance cytotoxic activity of CD8 þ T cells.

Matrix metalloproteinase-11 (MMP-11) has been observed in most invasive human carcinomas. The current study investigated the association between the clinicopathological characteristics and MMP-11 expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining was performed to assess MMP-11 expression in 279 patients with OSCC. In addition, the metastatic effects of the MMP-11 overexpression on the OSCC cells were also investigated. We found that MMP-11 expression was present in 118/279 (42.3%) cases and expression of MMP-11 was associated with higher incidence of lymph node metastasis and worse grade of tumor differentiation. Importantly, OSCC patients with strong expression of MMP-11 had a significantly lower survival rate (p=0.010). Furthermore, MMP-11 overexpression in OSCC cells increased in vitro cell migration. Mechanistically, MMP-11 increased the cell motility of OSCC cells through focal adhesion kinase/Src kinase (FAK/Src) pathway. In conclusion, our results revealed that the MMP-11 expression in OSCC samples can predict the progression, especially lymph node metastasis, and the survival of OSCC patients in Taiwan.

Geraniin has been reported to have numerous biological activities, including antiviral, antihypertensive, antihyperglycaemic, liver protective, antidiabetic, and apoptotic activities. However, the anti‐migration effects of geraniin on oral cancer remain elusive. In this study, we revealed the potential antitumor mechanisms of geraniin through the inhibition of the migration and invasion of human oral cancer cell lines SCC‐9 and SCC‐14. The results of gelatin zymography and Western blot assays revealed that geraniin significantly reduced the activity and expression of matrix metalloproteinase‐2 (MMP‐2) of oral cancer cells in a concentration‐dependent manner. Furthermore, geraniin potently suppressed the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), Src, and extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 but did not affect the phosphorylation of p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase 1/2. Moreover, blocking the MAPK/ERK1/2 pathway significantly enhanced the anti‐migration ability of geraniin in oral cancer cells. In conclusion, we demonstrated that geraniin inhibits the motility of SCC‐9 and SCC‐14 cells in vitro through a molecular mechanism that involves the attenuation of MMP‐2 expression and activity mediated by decreased FAK/Src and ERK1/2 pathways.