Open AccessAdenovirus‑mediated overexpression of interleukin‑21 regulates the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma in vitro
Author(s) -
Hao Liu,
Peng Liu,
Di Sun,
Dayuan Xing,
Xiaoping Wang,
Yang Jiao,
Shengzhi Wang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
oncology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.766
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1792-1082
pISSN - 1792-1074
DOI - 10.3892/ol.2020.11822
Subject(s) - cancer research , apoptosis , flow cytometry , oncogene , cell cycle , cell , biology , cell growth , cytotoxic t cell , tunel assay , cytokine , immunotherapy , interleukin , in vitro , immune system , immunohistochemistry , immunology , biochemistry , genetics
Interleukin-21 (IL-21) is an important cytokine that is currently being investigated for its potential use in tumor immunotherapy in the future. In tumor cells, IL-21 stimulates the immune response by increasing the cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells, B cells and CD8 + T cells, which in turn induces the apoptosis of tumor cells. The therapeutic effects of IL-21 have been investigated in several types of disease and numerous clinical trials are in progress. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of IL-21 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in vitro . IL-21 expression was detected in OSCC tissues via RT-qPCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry analyses. The results demonstrated that IL-21 protein expression decreased in OSCC tissues. IL-21 was overexpressed using adenovirus in CAL-27 cells. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay demonstrated that overexpression of IL-21 inhibited cell proliferation. Furthermore, overexpression of IL-21 inhibited cell migration, detected by the wound healing assay, and promoted cell apoptosis, detected by TUNEL staining and flow cytometry analysis. The results demonstrated that overexpression of IL-21 inhibited activation of the JNK signaling pathway. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggest that IL-21 may function as a potent antitumor agent in OSCC.