Protein overexpression of toll‑like receptor 4 and myeloid differentiation factor 88 in oral squamous cell carcinoma and clinical significance

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of malignancy of the head and neck. In the present study, the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) was evaluated in 55 OSCC tissues and their corresponding adjacent tissues using immunohistochemistry and reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. The results indicated that TLR4 and MyD88 were overexpressed in OSCC. Furthermore, high expression of MyD88 was negatively associated with a poor degree of differentiation, recurrence and metastasis of the tumor and was positively associated with underlying disease, including hypertension, heart disease and diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, high expression of TLR4 was positively associated with a long growth time of the tumor. In conclusion, the present study evaluated the expression levels of TLR4 and MyD88 in OSCC, as well as the association between them and clinicopathological factors, to provide markers for the prognosis and treatment of OSCC. These two genes may serve as biomarkers to optimize OSCC treatment, setting a new direction for stratifying patients and developing precise and personalized treatment regimens; the TLR4/MyD88 pathway may serve as a potential therapeutic target in the future.

Expression of Toll-like receptors in oral squamous cell carcinoma

“…In addition, the staining intensity of TLR4 was significantly higher in the infiltration zone compared to the deep epithelial layer of adjacent normal appearing epithelium. These findings are in line with the earlier studies which compared the expression of TLRs between tumoral tissue and adjacent normal epithelial tissue in OSCC samples [43][44][45].…”

Toll‐like receptors in health and disease

“… 215 , 216 In addition, several researchers have suggested that TLR4 overexpression promotes OSCC development and proliferation and is closely associated with poor invasion and metastasis in oral cancer patients. 217 , 218 , 219 , 220 , 221 , 222 These findings demonstrated a strong correlation between TLR4 and the onset and progression of OSCC. By inducing the NF‐κB signal transduction pathway, the TLR4 receptor activator (LPS) promotes the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and increases the migratory ability of OSCC cells.…”

“…In OSCC, in addition to increased TLR4 expression, the distribution of TLR4 likewise increased from the basal hominins to the spiny layer 215,216 . In addition, several researchers have suggested that TLR4 overexpression promotes OSCC development and proliferation and is closely associated with poor invasion and metastasis in oral cancer patients 217–222 . These findings demonstrated a strong correlation between TLR4 and the onset and progression of OSCC.…”