1. Academic Validation
  2. Neutrophils regulate tumor angiogenesis in oral squamous cell carcinoma and the role of Chemerin

Neutrophils regulate tumor angiogenesis in oral squamous cell carcinoma and the role of Chemerin

  • Int Immunopharmacol. 2023 Jun 22;121:110540. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110540.
Fei Gao 1 Yuanyong Feng 2 Xiaoyuan Hu 3 Xuan Zhang 1 Tongtong Li 1 Yueqi Wang 1 Shengyou Ge 2 Chengqin Wang 2 Jinghua Chi 1 Xiaohua Tan 1 Ning Wang 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao city, Shandong Province, China.
  • 2 Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao city, Shandong Province, China.
  • 3 Biological Therapy Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunzhou Road No. 519, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China.
  • 4 Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao city, Shandong Province, China. Electronic address: wangning@qdu.edu.cn.
Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant tumor of the oral cavity. Tumor angiogenesis plays a crucial role in tumor progression. Studies have established the correlation between neutrophils and tumor angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment. A previous study found that overexpression of Chemerin- in OSCC increased the infiltration of neutrophils in tumor tissues. This study aims to investigate the mechanisms underlying the regulation of the development and progression of OSCC, which have great significance in enhancing the postoperative survival of patients with OSCC. This study evaluated the accuracy of neutrophil count combined with MVD in predicting patients' survival time and its relationship with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis. Additionally, the study explored the effects of the Chemerin-neutrophil interaction on the angiogenic function of HUVECs. In OSCC, the overexpression of Chemerin promoted the angiogenesis of HUVECs through neutrophils. Moreover, Chemerin upregulated pro-angiogenic factors (e.g., VEGF-A, MMP-9, MMP-2, and S100A9) in neutrophils by activating MEK/ERK signaling pathway. In vivo experiments demonstrated that Chemerin may promote tumor growth by regulating tumor angiogenesis. In conclusion, the results suggest that neutrophil count and MVD serve as poor prognostic factors for patients with OSCC, and their combination is a more effective factor in predicting the survival time of OSCC patients. Neutrophils potentially contribute to angiogenesis through MEK/ERK signaling pathway via Chemerin and participate in the progression and metastasis of OSCC.

Keywords

Angiogenesis; Chemerin; Coculture; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; neutrophils count and MVD.

Figures
Products