Expression of maspin and ezrin proteins in periocular Basal cell carcinoma

Clinical and Molecular Features of Morpheaform Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer, with a lifetime risk currently approaching up to 40% in Caucasians. Among these, some clinical and pathological BCC variants pose a higher risk due to their more aggressive biological behavior. Morpheaform BCC (morBCC), also known as sclerosing, fibrosing, or morpheic BCC, represents up to 5-10% of all BCC. Overall, morBCC carries a poorer prognosis due to late presentation, local tissue destruction, tumor recurrence, and higher frequency of metastasis. In this systematic review, we review the epidemiological, clinical, morphological, dermatoscopical, and molecular features of morBCC. After the title and abstract screening of 222 studies and the full-text review of 84 studies, a total of 54 studies met the inclusion criteria and were thus included in this review.

Molecular markers associated with potentially malignant oral lesions (Review)

According to literature data, potentially premalignant oral lesions are the basis of over 85% of cell carcinomas. Despite multiple advances achieved during the last few decades in the diagnosis and treatment of oral squamous cell carcinomas, there has not been a significant change in the prognosis and 5-year survival rate. The prevention of malignant transformation of these tumors by diagnosis and targeted treatment would be the ideal scenario. These potentially premalignant oral lesions represent an important subject for either the clinical or the research field, due to the higher malignant transformation observed in the last few years at different ages. To date, histopathological examination based on TNM criteria is considered the 'golden standard'. However, this type of examination has its limitation due to staining procedures and photonic microscope examination. Identification of cellular and molecular markers specific to these oral lesions with potentially malignant transformation could lead to early detection, accurate diagnosis, prevention of the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and facilitate a targeted therapeutic approach. In this review, we focused on a series of molecules that are implicated in the malignant transformation of these lesions and considered potential biomarkers.

Celastrus orbiculatus extracts induce apoptosis and inhibit invasion by targeting the maspin gene in human gastric adenocarcinoma cells

Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. has been used as a remedy against cancer and inflammatory diseases for thousands of years in China. Maspin is expressed in normal cells and downregulated in prostate tumor cells. The underlying mechanisms between C. orbiculatus extract (COE) and maspin remain unclear. In the present study, 3 target-specific 19–25 nucleotide maspin small interfering RNAs were designed and synthesized to knockdown maspin expression. The effects of COE on MGC-803/maspin⁻ cell proliferation were evaluated by the MTT assay. Apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. Invasive activity was measured with the Transwell assay and the associated molecular mechanisms were assessed by western blot analysis. The results demonstrated that COE significantly promoted the expression of maspin (P<0.01) to induce apoptosis and inhibit invasion and migration in MGC803 cells. The expression levels of phosphorylated (p)-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phospho-extracellular regulated protein kinase (Erk), B cell lymphoma-2-associated X protein and caspase-3 were increased in the MGC-803/maspin⁻ cells in a dose-dependent manner. The Erk, B-cell lymphoma 2, p-Akt, Akt and p-mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) protein in MGC-803/maspin⁻ cells were reduced in a dose-dependent manner. This indicated that COE may inhibit invasion and migration through phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt/mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways in MGC-803/maspin⁻ cells. In conclusion, COE has the ability to improve the expression of maspin to induce apoptosis and inhibit invasion and migration in human gastric adenocarcinoma cells.

Gene Expression and Proteome Analysis as Sources of Biomarkers in Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the world's leading skin cancer in terms of frequency at the moment and its incidence continues to rise each year, leading to profound negative psychosocial and economic consequences. UV exposure is the most important environmental factor in the development of BCC in genetically predisposed individuals, this being reflected by the anatomical distribution of lesions mainly on sun-exposed skin areas. Early diagnosis and prompt management are of crucial importance in order to prevent local tissue destruction and subsequent disfigurement. Although various noninvasive or minimal invasive techniques have demonstrated their utility in increasing diagnostic accuracy of BCC and progress has been made in its treatment options, recurrent, aggressive, and metastatic variants of BCC still pose significant challenge for the healthcare system. Analysis of gene expression and proteomic profiling of tumor cells and of tumoral microenvironment in various tissues strongly suggests that certain molecules involved in skin cancer pathogenic pathways might represent novel predictive and prognostic biomarkers in BCC.