SOCS3, a suppressor of cytokine signaling 3, is known as a negative regulator of various cytokines and a tumor suppressor gene in human tumors. This study aimed to investigate the role of SOCS3 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its impact on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in OSCC cells. Although SOCS3 is recognized as a negative regulator of various cytokines and a tumor suppressor gene in human tumors, its specific effects on OSCC remain poorly understood. For the assessment of SOCS3 expression in OSCC, the UALCAN website and TCGA data were used to evaluate its expression in head and neck cancer. Additionally, immunohistochemical staining was conducted to determine the SOCS3 expression specifically in OSCC. The findings indicated a significant decrease in SOCS3 expression in tumor tissue compared to that in normal tissues. To investigate the enhancement of SOCS3 expression in OSCC cancer cell lines, IL6 treatment was administered to MC3 cells. However, no significant differences were observed in cell viability, wound healing assay, and invasion assay. Conversely, the transfection of SOCS3 siRNA into OSCC cells led to a notable increase in cell viability and statistically significant increases in wound healing and invasion assays. These results suggest that SOCS3 plays a crucial role in cell viability and EMT in OSCC, thereby contributing to oral carcinogenesis. Further research is necessary to elucidate the precise role of SOCS3 in OSCC.

Taxillus yadoriki (Siebold) Dancer is a parasitic plant that grows on camellia trees and is common on Jeju Island. The branches of T. yadoriki have long been used to treat various diseases, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, viral infections, and arthritis. Although recent studies reported that T. yadoriki has anticancer effects in various human cancer cell lines, including lung cancer, the exact molecular mechanisms supporting its anticancer effects are not well understood. This study aims to assess the anticancer effect of the methanol extract of T. yadoriki branches (METY) on mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) cell lines (MC3 cells and YD15 cells) and explore its mechanism of action. Inhibitory activity of MEC cell proliferation was assessed using the CCK-8 assay. The mechanism of the anticancer effect on METY-treated MC3 cells and YD15 cells was evaluated with Hoechst 33342 stain and Western blot. After treating MC3 cells and YD15 cells with METY for 48 hours, the cytotoxicity of MC3 and YD15 cells increased, and nuclear fragmentation increased in both METY-treated MEC cells. Caspase-3 and cleaved PARP activation demonstrated apoptosis of METY-treated MEC cells. Cell proliferation inhibition with METY was alleviated in METY-treated MEC cells pretreated with zVAD-FMK, supporting the cell proliferation inhibition effect by apoptosis. METY-induced apoptosis in MEC cells occurs through MAP kinase pathways such as p38 and pAkt. MEC cell. METY-induced apoptosis of MEC cells occurs via the p38 and pAkt MAPK pathways. Therefore, METY may be a promising anticancer candidate for the MEC therapeutic strategy.

기능성 화장품이라 함은 피부미백, 주름개선, 자외선차단 등 특정한 기능을 가지고 피부에 효과를 주는 화장품을 말했다. 그런데 2017년 이후 기능성 화장품의 품목이 확대되었다. 대한민국의 기능성 화장품 산업은 미백, 주름, 자외선 차단 제품에 머물고 새로운 기능성 제품의 개발은 미비한 상태이다. 또한 코스메슈티컬과 메디컬 화장품을 비롯한 고기능성 화장품도 아직 정립되지 않은 상태이다. 그리고 국외에 수출실적 순위는 프랑스가 가장 높았고 미국, 독일 순으로 나타났다. 프랑스는 화장품 산업 업계 1위 국가답게 바이오 공업과 기능성 소재에서 메커니즘 중심의 기능성 화장품을 강조하고 있고 미국은 럭셔리 프리미엄 제품에 수요도가 높았으며 독일은 바이오 하이테크 기술에 주목하고 있다. 이처럼 한국도 신흥 산업에 적용할 수 있는 기능성 화장품들의 새로운 소재들을 개발하고 정치와 경제가 뒷받침 되어 연구에 더 집중할 수 있는 환경이 갖춰져 다양한 기능성 화장품 산업 등을 발전시켜 나아가야 할 것이다.

Human melatonin receptors consist of melatonin receptor 1A (MT1) and melatonin receptor 1B (MT2), and possess various biological activations, which include the control of circadian rhythm and immune regulation. Recently, it have been found that melatonin receptors inhibit cell proliferation and have oncostatic properties, which is being researched in the treatment strategies of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Also, interest in the effect of melatonin receptor’s correlation to head and neck carcinogenesis and application possibilities on head and neck cancer has been found. However, in head and neck cancer, how melatonin receptor relates and functions with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which plays a major role in human carcinogenesis, is yet unknown. In this research, in HSC5 cell and YD15 cell, the head and neck cancer cell lines, a selective melatonin receptor antagonist, Luzindole, was utilized to examine the effect of melatonin receptors on EMT. After treating Luzindole on HSC5 cells and YD15 cells, the authors evaluated cell viability rate with CCK 8 assay, and performing colony forming assay, invasion assay and western blot analysis, to confirm melatonin receptor’s effect on EMT. When Luzindole was treated on HSC5 cells and YD15 cells in low concentration of 100nM, no significant difference in cell viability was found, whereas Luzindole-treated cells had a significantly increase in the invasion assay. As a result of colony forming assay, in YD15 cells, the number of colony formation decreased slightly, whereas in HSC3 cells, the number of colony formation increased. According to the western blotting, no difference in E-cadherin, Slug, and vimentin protein expression was shown. This result of research indicates the possibility of melatonin receptor being related to EMT and new chemotherapeutic target in the carcinogenesis of head and neck cancer.

Autophagy is a cell survival mechanism that works for the survival of cells under various physiological and pathological conditions. ATG5 is a key protein in the process of autophagy propagation and is involved in tumor development and progression. Chemotherapeutic agents targeting ATG5 enhance the host's immune response in various human cancers and intensify the effectiveness of chemotherapy. However, the physiological role of ATG5 protein in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has not been fully recognized. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between clinico-pathological factors of OSCC patients and ATG5 immunoexpression through immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the tissues of OSCC patients treated at our hospital, and to analyze the regarding influences and their mechanisms. The authors analyzed 20 OSCC patients from National University Dental Hospital, at Pusan National University from January 2002 to December 2007, which were eligible for the study. Data were obtained by reviewing the medical records of the OSCC patients, and ATG5 immunoexpression was obtained using IHC staining in the tissue samples of the OSCC patients. In the tissue sample of OSCC patients, the immunoexpression of ATG5 elevated, in comparison to the normal oral mucosa, and there was a significant correlation with Drinking, Pathological Stage. In regards to Cox regression analysis, Clinical stage, Tumor size, Histopathologic grade, Cervical nodal metastasis, Loco-regional recurrence, and ATG5 expression have statistically significant correlations. These results imply that the changes in the expression of ATG5 proteins in OSCC can be a prominent factor in the OSCC progression and the prognosis of OSCC patients.