The effect of eugenol on the induction of apoptosis in HSC-2 human oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objectives: Oropharynx tumors(oral cancer), are caused by tobacco, alcohol consumption, and high-risk human papillomavirus(HPV) infection. Oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC) is the most common type of oral cancer and frequently arises from the mucosa of the oropharynx and oral cavity. Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment(chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery) of oral cancer, over the past two decades, the overall survival rates remains at about 60%. Methods: We pretreated HSC-2 cells with various doses of exposed the cells to eugenol and then we measured cell viability by MTT assay. Results: Cell proliferation was markedly inhibited after eugenol treatment compared to the control. The majority of HSC-2 cells in the control groups showed normal morphology with round regular nuclei. In contrast, apoptotic bodies were seen in the 0.5 mM, 1 mM, 2 mM group. However, the pretreatment with eugenol increased HSC-2 cells apoptosis according to dose-dependency. PI staining quantitatively confirmed the anti-apoptotic effects of propofol. The expression levels of cleaved caspase 3, and Bak significantly increased in HSC-2 cells. Conclusions: These findings indicate that eugenol could be a potential anti-cancer agent for human OSCC and provide valuable data for the development of a novel anticancer strategy.