Th17 expression and IL-17 levels in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients

Genetic association of Interleukin-17A polymorphism in Bangladeshi patients with breast and cervical cancer: a case-control study with functional analysis

BACKGROUND

Breast and cervical cancer are the two leading cancers in terms of incidence and mortality. Previous studies reported different interleukins, including interleukin-17A (IL-17A) to be responsible for the development and progression of these malignancies. Therefore, we speculated that the variants in this gene might be associated with these cancer developments in Bangladeshi population. For evaluating the hypothesis, we investigated the association of IL-17A rs3748067 polymorphism with the susceptibility of both breast and cervical cancer.

METHODS

This case-control study was performed on 156 breast cancer patients, 156 cervical cancer patients, and 156 controls using the tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction. The statistical software package SPSS (version 25.0) was applied for analyses. The genetic association was measured by the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A statistically significant association was considered when p-value ≤ 0.05. Functional analysis was performed using GEPIA and UALCAN databases.

RESULTS

From the calculation of the association of IL-17A rs3748067 with breast cancer, it is found that no genotype or allele showed a statistically significant association (p>0.05). On the other hand, the analysis of IL-17A rs3748067 with cervical cancer demonstrated that CT genotype showed a significant association (CT vs. CC: OR=1.79, p=0.021). In the overdominant model, CT genotype also revealed a statistically significant association with cervical cancer, which is found to be statistically significant (OR=1.84, p=0.015).

CONCLUSION

Our study summarizes that rs3748067 polymorphism in the IL-17A gene may be associated with cervical cancer but not breast cancer in Bangladeshi patients. However, we suggest studies in the future with a larger sample size.

IL-17 expression and prognosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Objective: To investigate the roles of proinflammatory cytokine IL-17 in the prognosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Methods: In all, 67 LSCC patients were enrolled to evaluate the expression of IL-17, IL-23, CD8, CD31, and vascular endothelial growth factor by immunohistochemical staining. Cumulative survival time was determined by the Kaplan-Meier approach, and prognostic variables for overall survival (OS) were identified by Cox proportional-hazards models. Results: The expression of IL-17 and IL-23 was remarkably higher in LSCC tissue than in adjacent normal (AN) tissue (P < .001). The Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that patients with cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM), advanced tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, poor-differentiated grade, high microvessel density (MVD) in LSCC tissues, and high IL-17 expression in AN tissues had poorer OS (all P < .05). Cox regression analysis revealed that CLNM (HR = 7.246; 95% CI: 2.598-20.208; P < .001), high MVD in tumor tissues (HR = 4.233; 95% CI: 1.482-12.092; P = .007), and low CD8 expression in AN tissues (HR = 3.996; 95% CI: 1.442-11.074; P = .008) were significantly associated with poorer OS in LSCC, while IL-17 expression in AN tissue was not. Conclusion: High IL-17 expression in AN tissues could indicate poor prognosis and may be a prognostic marker for LSCC. Low CD8 expression in AN tissues may represent poor frontline antitumor immunity and be associated with poor prognosis.

The Role of Inflammation-Associated Factors in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which originates in the head or neck tissues, is characterized by high rates of recurrence and metastasis. Inflammation is important in HNSCC prognosis. Inflammatory cells and their secreted factors contribute to the various stages of HNSCC development through multiple mechanisms. In this review, the mechanisms through which inflammatory factors, signaling pathways, and cells contribute to the initiation and progression of HNSCC have been discussed in detail. Furthermore, the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of targeting inflammation in HNSCC has been discussed to gain new insights into improving patient prognosis.

Increased expression of interleukin-22 and its receptor is relevant to poor prognosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma: A case control trial

ABSTRACT

To detect the expression of interlerukin-22 (IL-22) and associated genes and to evaluate their relationship with clinicopathological features and prognosis in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC).The expression of IL-22 and associated genes were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and real time polymerase chain reaction in LSCC tissues from 30 patients and adjacent non-tumor tissues. A statistical analysis was implemented to assess the relationship among levels of expression, clinicopathological factors, and overall survival.The expression of IL-22 and interleukin 22 receptor 1 (IL-22R1) was mainly located in the cytoplasm, and the expression of LSCC was significantly higher than in controls. The expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 distributed in the cell nucleus, which was significantly higher in LSCC than in controls. The expression of IL-22 and IL-22R1 was associated with metastasis of lymph node and clinical stage of LSCC. Overall survival of LSCC was significantly poorer with higher expression of IL-22 and IL-22R1 than in those with lower expression.The present research indicated that the increased level of IL-22 and IL-22R1 may be related to the pathogenesis and prognosis of LSCC. IL-22 may be the important biomarker, which need further research.

Prediction of the mechanism of miRNAs in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma based on the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network

In this study, a bioinformatics analysis is conducted to screen differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Based on this information, we explored the possible roles of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of LSCC. The RNA-Seq data from 79 laryngeal cancer samples in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were sorted. Differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs in LSCC are screened using the PERL programming language, and it was analysed by Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The miRNA-mRNA regulatory network of LSCC is constructed using Cytoscape software. Then, quantitative real-time PCR (QRT- PCR), Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) and flow cytometry analysis we are used to further validate key miRNAs. We identified 99 differentially expressed miRNAs and 2,758 differentially expressed mRNAs in LSCC tissues from the GEO database. Four more important miRNAs displaying a high degree of connectivity are selected, these results suggest that they play an important role in the pathogenesis of LSCC. As shown in the present study, we identified specific miRNA-mRNA networks associated with the occurrence and development of LSCC through bioinformatics analysis. We found a miRNA molecule closely related to LSCC based on miRNA-mRNA network: miR-140-3p was down-regulated in LSCC. In addition, the potential antitumor effect of miR-140-3p in LSCC was verified in the experiment, and it was proved that overexpression of miR-140-3p could inhibit the proliferation of LSCC cells and promote cell apoptosis, suggesting that miR-140-3p may be a potential tumor marker in LSCC.

IL-17 Affects the Progression, Metastasis, and Recurrence of Laryngeal Cancer via the Inhibition of Apoptosis through Activation of the PI3K/AKT/FAS/FASL Pathways

Background

Cytokines play important roles in the development and prognosis of laryngeal cancer (LC). Interleukin-17 (IL-17) from a distinct subset of CD4+ T cells may significantly induce cancer-elicited inflammation to prevent tumor immune surveillance.

Methods

The expression levels of IL-17 were examined among 60 patients with LC. Immunofluorescence colocalization experiments were performed to verify the localization of IL-17 and FAS/FASL in Hep-2 and Tu212 cells. The role of IL-17 was determined using siRNA techniques in the LC cell line.

Results

In the LC patients, cytokines were dysregulated in LC tissues compared with normal tissues. It was found that IL-17 was overexpressed in a cohort of 60 LC tumors paired with nontumor tissues. Moreover, high IL-17 expression was significantly associated with the advanced T category, the late clinical stage, differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and recurrence. In addition, the time course expression of FAS and FASL was observed after stimulation and treatment with the IL-17 stimulator. Finally, in vitro experiments demonstrated that IL-17 functioned as an oncogene by inhibiting the apoptosis of LC cells via the PI3K/AKT/FAS/FASL pathways.

Conclusions

In summary, these findings demonstrated for the first time the role of IL-17 as a tumor promoter and a prometastatic factor in LC and indicated that IL-17 may have an oncogenic role and serve as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target in LC.

Cordycepin and a preparation from Cordyceps militaris inhibit malignant transformation and proliferation by decreasing EGFR and IL-17RA signaling in a murine oral cancer model

Cordyceps militaris (CM) and its active ingredient cordycepin have been reported to inhibit tumor growth, but the mechanisms are not fully understood. This study used a mouse model for oral cancer and a cell line, 4NAOC-1 derived from the model to study the mechanisms. Our results show that a CM preparation (CMP) can significantly inhibit tumor development and malignant transformation in the model. In vitro data indicate that CMP and cordycepin can inhibit 4NAOC-1 cell proliferation, either anchorage-dependent or -independent. Cordycepin can also increase cell apoptosis, and decrease cell mitosis and EGFR signaling. In accordance, CMP treatment can significantly decrease the levels of ki-67 and EGFR signaling molecules in cancer tissues. We also found that the levels of IL-17A in cancer tissues of control mice were significantly increased, and CMP inhibited these levels. IL-17A can stimulate cancer cell proliferation, which can be suppressed by cordycepin. Furthermore, cordycepin can reduce the expression of IL-17RA and its downstream signaling molecules. Moreover, CMP and cordycepin can significantly decrease IL-17A production in vitro and in vivo. Finally, CMP and its ingredients can enhance tumoricidal activities with increase in IFN-γ and TNFα, and decrease PD-L1 expression. In conclusion, CMP and its ingredient cordycepin can inhibit tumor growth and malignant transformation in a mouse model for oral cancer via inhibition of EGFR- and IL-17RA-signaling and enhancement of anti-tumor immunity.