Expression of SOX10, and micro-RNA 221 and Micro-RNA 222 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Correlation with Clinicopathological Characteristics.

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most prevalent head and neck cancer. Cancer stem cell markers are crucial for early diagnosis and targeted treatment, as they provide insight into the molecular biology of cancer. One such marker, SOX10, plays a vital role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition in adult cells. This research aims to assess the expression levels of SOX10, miR-221, and miR-222 in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissue.

Methods: In this case-control study, 28 oral squamous cell carcinoma and 28 tumor-free margin tissue samples from the same individuals were gathered as the control group. Real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction was conducted on affected and control samples to assess the expression of SOX10, miR-221, and miR-222 genes. Immunohistochemistry analysis with an anti-SOX10 antibody was performed on oral squamous cell carcinoma samples.

Results: The results showed that SOX10 gene expression was significantly upregulated in the oral squamous cell carcinoma specimens, whereas the expression of miR-221 and miR-222 was significantly lower in the tumoral tissue compared to the control tissue. Additionally, SOX10 protein expression was undetectable in the oral squamous cell carcinoma specimens. A positive and significant correlation was also observed between miR-222 expression, smoking, and the clinical stage of oral squamous cell carcinoma. The ROC analysis demonstrated that SOX10, miR-221, and miR-222 had significant diagnostic ability for detecting Oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that the expression levels of the SOX10 gene in oral squamous cell carcinoma were significantly higher than in tumor-free margin samples. However, the IHC results did not confirm the protein expression of SOX10. The under-expression of miR-221 and miR-222 genes in oral squamous cell carcinoma samples may indicate a potential tumor suppressor role for these genes. Furthermore, these genes may serve as potential genetic biomarkers for the diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma.