Inhibition by Hypericin of Tongue Squamous Carcinoma Cell Proliferation and Treatment of Resistance in Dental Pulp Stem Cells Publisher



Tondro F² ; Shahbazi S³ ; Shahriari F⁴ ; Ansari AM¹ ; Forouzesh F² ; Ghadirian R¹ ; Shayeghan M¹ ; Salaritabar A¹ ; Javidi MA^{1, 2} Show Affiliations
Source: Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia Published:2024

Abstract

Tongue cancer is a malignancy affecting the head and neck region that has exhibited an increased incidence in recent decades, primarily attributed to alterations in lifestyle patterns. In recent times, there has been a growing interest in investigating the impact of the secretome of mesenchymal stem cells on cellular function. However, the findings from these studies have shown conflicting outcomes. It has the potential to augment or diminish many facets of cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the impact of hypericin on the development of drug resistance in tongue cancer cells when exposed to various proportions of human dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells for durations of 24 and 48 h. Subsequently, the rate of cell proliferation was assessed across four distinct experimental groups: those treated with both conditioned media and hypericin, those treated solely with hypericin, those treated solely with conditioned media, and a control group. The inhibitory concentration (IC50) of hypericin on tongue squamous carcinoma cells was determined to be 10 µg/ml at 24 h and 2.5 µg/ml at 48 h using the MTT assay. The stem cell treatment showed a significant increase in proliferation and drug resistance against hypericin in the tested carcinoma cells, with a ratio of 75%. Following the introduction of this chemical modifier, there was an observed elevation in the expression levels of the ABCB1 and ABCG2 genes within cancer cells. The resistance produced by mesenchymal stem cells and the expression of ABCB1 and ABCG2 were reduced following a 48-h treatment with a concentration of 20 µg/ml of hypericin. Hypericin can attenuate the drug resistance that is caused by human dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells in tongue squamous cell carcinoma, ultimately leading to the initiation of programmed cell death. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.) © The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Sociedade Brasileira de Farmacognosia 2024.