Adenovirus‑mediated overexpression of interleukin‑21 regulates the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma in vitro

Liu,Hao; Liu,Peng; Sun,Di; Xing,Dayuan; Wang,Xiaoping; Yang,Jinge; Wang,Shengzhi

doi:10.3892/ol.2020.11822

Adenovirus‑mediated overexpression of interleukin‑21 regulates the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma in vitro

Authors:
- Hao Liu
- Peng Liu
- Di Sun
- Dayuan Xing
- Xiaoping Wang
- Jinge Yang
- Shengzhi Wang
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Affiliations: Department of Stomatology, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University, Yantai, Shandong 264000, P.R. China, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University, Yantai, Shandong 264000, P.R. China, Department of Pathology, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University, Yantai, Shandong 264000, P.R. China, Department of Emergency, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University, Yantai, Shandong 264000, P.R. China
Published online on: July 7, 2020 https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.11822
Pages: 3006-3014
Copyright: © Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Interleukin‑21 (IL‑21) is an important cytokine that is currently being investigated for its potential use in tumor immunotherapy in the future. In tumor cells, IL‑21 stimulates the immune response by increasing the cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells, B cells and CD8+ T cells, which in turn induces the apoptosis of tumor cells. The therapeutic effects of IL‑21 have been investigated in several types of disease and numerous clinical trials are in progress. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of IL‑21 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in vitro. IL‑21 expression was detected in OSCC tissues via RT‑qPCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry analyses. The results demonstrated that IL‑21 protein expression decreased in OSCC tissues. IL‑21 was overexpressed using adenovirus in CAL‑27 cells. The Cell Counting Kit‑8 assay demonstrated that overexpression of IL‑21 inhibited cell proliferation. Furthermore, overexpression of IL‑21 inhibited cell migration, detected by the wound healing assay, and promoted cell apoptosis, detected by TUNEL staining and flow cytometry analysis. The results demonstrated that overexpression of IL‑21 inhibited activation of the JNK signaling pathway. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggest that IL‑21 may function as a potent antitumor agent in OSCC.

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