Lycorine, a natural alkaloid extracted from the Amaryllidaceae plant family, was reported to various physiological and pharmacological effects including anti-cancer activity. Nevertheless, there is no report of the anticancer effect of lycorine in oral cancer cells. The effects of lycorine on cell proliferation and apoptosis were examined through trypan blue exclusion assay, 4’-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) stain, Live/Dead assay, Western blot analysis and RT-PCR. Lycorine suppressed cell viability and induced apoptosis in MC3 and HSC-3 cell lines. Lycorine decreased survivin protein but did not affect its mRNA. It regulated survivin through accelerating protein degradation in a time-dependent manner although neither proteasome nor lysosome was not associated with lycorine-mediated protein degradation. Collectively, our results suggest that lycorine may be a potential therapeutic anti-cancer drug candidate for the treatment of human oral cancer.

Elevated expression of survivin is strongly associated with tumorigenesis and even in human common cancers. The purpose of this study is to confirm whether survivin is associated with odontogenic tumor expecially in the development and growth in ameloblastomas. For the control group; 3 specimens obtained from normal oral mucosa without any inflammatory reaction were used. For the experimental group, specimens obtained from 17 subjects of ameloblastomas; follicular type, plexiform type, granular cell type, acantomatous type and unicystic ameloblastoma. All the specimens were embedded in paraffin, sectioned 5μm or more in thickness, and stained with hematoxylin- eosin stain method. For immunostain, the specimens were incubated with 1:200 diluted primary antibody, followed by the secondary antibody. The bound antibodies were visualized by addition of diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB) for 30 minutes at room temperature. The specimens were counterstained with Gill’s Hematoxylin and mounted. Intensity of survivin immunoreactivity specimens was quantitatively scaled using under the light microscope with the following criteria; Intensive reaction; +++, Moderate reaction; ++, Minimal reaction; +. Using the image analyzer (Korea Optical System), immunoreactivity of the tumor cells in various fields was measured and statistically analyzed with SPSS 17.0 Program. In control group, moderate positive reaction was noted in the cytoplasm of cells in the basal and spinous layer, but negative reaction was revealed in the nucleus. Expression of survivin was significantly increased in the cytoplasm of ameloblastomas as compared to that of control group (p<0.05). Expression of survivin in the nucleus and the cytoplasm of the tumor cells between subtype of ameloblastoma was not significantly different. These results suggest that expression of survivin is closely associated with the development, and growth of the ameloblastomas. However it is unlikely that survivin can be used as a marker for cellular malignancy.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of survivin in various salivary gland tumors. For this study, total 18 cases of salivary gland tumors; 6 cases of benign and 12 cases of malignant tumors were used as experimental group. In benign tumors; pleomorphic adenoma, oncocytoma, and in malignant tumors; adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid tumor, high grade and low grade malignancy each, adenocarcinoma, acinic cell adenocarcinoma cases were included. And for the control group, fresh submandibular glands were attained from gnathosurgical specimen. All the specimens, experimental, control group were fixed in 10% neutral formalin solutions, embedded in paraffin, sectioned 5um or more in thickness, stained with the hematoxylin and eosin, mounted and examined under the microscope. For the immunohistochemical studies, all the specimens were activated with survivin monoclonal, and secondary antibodies as usual manners, and taken photos on various pathologic fields analysed with the image analysis system, and evaluated the positive and negative stained area in the tumors on each images and statistically analyzed with SPSS 15.0 program. Attained result as follows. In control group, in part, acini cells show positive reaction on the nuclei, negative on the all most of the cytoplasm, more intense reaction on the cytoplasm and nuclei on the serous demilune (47.33%). In experimental group, all the specimens show survivin positive reaction on the cytoplasm with/or without positive reaction on nuclei according to the tumors, in benign tumors; pleomorphic adenoma (63.48%), oncocytoma (56.31%), each and in malignant tumors; adenoid cystic carcinoma (87.6%), acinic cell adenocarcinoma (56.35%). adenocarcinoma (67.47%), mucoepidermoid carcinoma, low grade (70.76%). high grade (55.23%). Survivin expression shows higher in tumors compare to that on the control group (p<0.05), but between the malignant tumors no significant are not noted(p>0.005). Survivin expression is strongly related to the malignancy of salivary gland tumors

Elevated expression of survivin is strongly associated with tumorigenesis and even in human common cancers. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the 7th most frequent cancer in human and responsible for more than 90% of all oral cancer. The purpose of this study is to confirm whether survivin is associated with oral carcinogenesis, expecially has a role in the development of OSCC. For the control group; 3 specimens obtained from normal oral mucosa without any inflammatory reaction were used a nd for the experimental group, specimens obtained f rom 18 sub jects of OSCC; 6 subjects from Well differentiated type OSCC; 4 subjects from Moderately differentiated type OSCC; 3 subjects from Poorly differentiated type OSCC; 3 subjects from Verrucous carcinoma: and 2 subjects from C arcinoma in situ were used. All the specimens were embedded in paraffin, sectioned 5 μm or more in thickness, and stained with hematoxylin- eosin. For immunostain, the specimens were incubated with 1;200 diluted primary antibody (anti-survivin monoclonal, Biocare Inc, USA), followed by the secondary antibody(NovoLink Polymer detection system, Novocastra Lab., UK). The bound antibodies were visualized by addition of diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride(DAB) for 30 minutes at room temperature. The specimens were counterstained with Mayerʼs Hematoxylin and mounted. Quantitation of immunoreactivity was performed under the light microscope with the following criteria ; Intensive reaction; +++, Moderate reaction; ++, Minimal reaction; +. Using the image analyzer(Korea Optical System), immunoreactivity of tumor cells in various field was measured and statistically analyzed with SPSS 15.0 Program. The results were as follows: Expression of survivin in OSCC was significantly increased in the nucleus and the cytoplasm of OSCC as compare to those of control group (p<0.05). Expression of survivin in the nucleus and the cytoplasm of the cells in OSCC is correlated with the cellular malignancy (p<0.05). Expression of survivin in Poorly differentiated type OSCC partly correlated to some extent to cellular malignancy (p<0.05). These results suggest that expression of survivin in OSCC is closely associated with to the development, and malignancy of the OSCC, b ut it is not enough to be used a s a marker f or the c ellular malignancy. Further studies are needed to relate the expression of survivin to cellular malignancy.