Delineating metabolic dysfunction in cellular metabolism of oral submucous fibrosis using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Jiawei Danxuan Koukang Alleviates Arecoline Induced Oral Mucosal Lesions: Network Pharmacology and the Combined Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) and Mass Spectrometry (MS)

Purpose

Arecoline is one of the main toxic components of arecoline to cause oral mucosal lesions or canceration, which seriously affects the survival and life quality of patients. This study analyzed the mechanism of Jiawei Danxuan Koukang (JDK) in alleviating arecoline induced oral mucosal lesions, to provide new insights for the treatment of oral submucosal fibrosis (OSF) or cancerosis.

Methods

Metabolomics was applied to analyze the composition of JDK and serum metabolites. The active ingredients of JDK were analyzed by the combined ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. The target network of JDK, metabolites and OSF was analyzed by network pharmacology, and molecular docking. Oral mucosal lesions and fibrosis were analyzed by HE and Masson staining. Cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis were detected. The expressions of α-SMA, Collagen I, Vimentin, Snail, E-cadherin, AR and NOTCH1 were detected by Western blot.

Results

Arecoline induced the gradual atrophy and thinning of rat oral mucosal, collagen accumulation, the increase expressions of fibrosis-related proteins and Th17/Treg ratio. JDK inhibited arecoline-induced oral mucosal lesions and inflammatory infiltration. Arecoline induced changes of serum metabolites in Aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, Alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism and Arginine biosynthesis pathways, which were reversed by M-JDK. Quercetin and AR were the active ingredients and key targets of JDK, metabolites and OSF interaction. Arecoline promoted the expression of AR protein, and the proliferation of oral fibroblasts. Quercetin inhibited the effect of arecoline on oral fibroblasts, but was reversed by AR overexpression. Arecoline induced NOTCH1 expression in CAL27 and SCC-25 cells, and promoted cell proliferation, but was reversed by M-JDK or quercetin.

Conclusion

JDK improved the arecoline-induced OSF and serum metabolite functional pathway. Quercetin targeted AR protein to improve arecoline-induced OSF. JDK and quercetin inhibited arecoline-induced NOTCH1 protein expression in CAL27 and SCC-25 cells to play an anti-oral cancer role.

Evaluation of oxidative stress and the microenvironment in oral submucous fibrosis

BACKGROUND

Oral Submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a chronic inflammatory mucosal disease of unknown etiology. Statistics show cases of OSF which has a high rate of overall prevalence and increase the chance of malignant transformation. As we know malignant cells is situated in a very complex microenvironment with altered metabolic pathway including intermediates which participate in oxidative stress process which enhances metabolic rewiring and promotes tumor progression. This study aims to evaluate the tumor microenvironment and their role in metabolic reprogramming.

METHODS

This study was conducted on the serum sample of OSF (n = 20) compared to the healthy group (n = 20) using ELISA. The serum levels of intermediate by-products of metabolic pathway and oxidative stress induced biomolecular damage products were determined. The sensitivity of results was analyzed by correlating it with markers of metabolic status (Glucose, Total cholesterol, Total protein).

RESULTS

Metabolic pathway intermediates molecules like Fatty Acids (FAA), Ascorbic acid, Citrate, Oxaloacetate (OAA), levels were significantly high in the serum of OSF cases. This indicated that intermediates act as a metabolic switch that drives cells to adapt malignant transformation pathway. Markers related to oxidative DNA damage (8-hydroxy-2' -deoxyguanosine), Oxidative lipid peroxidation (8-epi-Prostaglandin F2α), and Protein carbonyl were significantly up-regulated. This significant increase in oxidative stress marker revealed the reprogramming of the metabolic pathway for fulfilling the nutritional requirement of cancer cells. A further significant correlation was observed with metabolic products confirmed altered metabolic status.

CONCLUSION

Our findings could identify the differentiating intermediate pathway metabolites and oxidative damage to biomolecules that are leading to rewiring of metabolism in the OSF group. Findings described in the study can be helpful to explain further the molecular aspects that lead to the progression of OSF towards carcinogenesis.