Evaluation of Changes in miR-7113-3p, miR-6721-5p, and MAP2K1 gene expressions in tumor and normal tissues of patients with oral cancer

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity (OSCC) is one of the most common cancers in the Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer (HNSCC) group. The increasing frequency of oral carcinomas and their late-stage appearance is a major worldwide health concern. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in cancer growth and progression, as the available relevant data indicate. However, no information is available about the parts miR-7113-3p and miR-6721-5p taken in OSCC. In the present study, the expression of MAP2K1, miR-7113-3p, and miR-6721-5p was examined to determine their possible biological role in the advancement of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: Quantitative Real-Time PCR was applied to investigate the mRNA expression of MAP2K1, miR-7113-3p, and miR-6721-5p in fresh frozen OSCC tissues and adjacent normal fresh frozen tissues of 30 patients and then, the relationship between MAP2K1 Expression and clinical parameters was studied. Results: MAP2K1 expression dramatically increased in tumor tissues compared to the normal tissues, while miR7113-3p and miR-6721-5p expression significantly decreased. Furthermore, a statistical correlation of p=0.04 was also observed between increased MAP2K1 expression and Perineural invasion. In addition, the downregulation of miR-7113-3p was positively correlated with the overexpression of MAP2K1 (p=0.0218), and a negative correlation was observed between the downregulation of miR-6721-5p and overexpression of MAP2K1 (p=0.7771). Conclusion: Based on the findings, miR-7113-3p, and miR-6721-5p might be prospective biomarkers for OSCC patients and can be utilized to detect OSCC at an early stage of its diagnosis. MAP2K1 overexpression is linked to the development of OSCC and Perineural invasion.