title: The fatty acid synthase inhibitor orlistat reduces the growth and metastasis of orthotopic tongue oral squamous cell carcinomas.
abstract: Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is the biosynthetic enzyme responsible for the endogenous synthesis of fatty acids. It is downregulated in most normal cells, except in lipogenic tissues such as liver, lactating breast, fetal lung, and adipose tissue. Conversely, several human cancers, including head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), overexpress FASN, which has been associated with poor prognosis and recently suggested as a metabolic oncoprotein. Orlistat is an irreversible inhibitor of FASN activity with cytotoxic properties on several cancer cell lines that inhibits tumor progression and metastasis in prostate cancer xenografts and experimental melanomas, respectively. To explore whether the inhibition of FASN could impact oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) metastatic spread, an orthotopic model was developed by the implantation of SCC-9 ZsGreen LN-1 cells into the tongue of BALB/c nude mice. These cells were isolated through in vivo selection, show a more invasive behavior in vitro than the parental cells, and generate orthotopic tumors that spontaneously metastasize to cervical lymph nodes in 10 to 15 days only. SCC-9 ZsGreen LN-1 cells also exhibit enhanced production of MMP-2, ERBB2, and CDH2. The treatment with orlistat reduced proliferation and migration, promoted apoptosis, and stimulated the secretion of VEGFA165b by SCC-9 ZsGreen LN-1 cells. In vivo, the drug was able to decrease both the volume and proliferation indexes of the tongue orthotopic tumors and, importantly, reduced the number of metastatic cervical lymph nodes by 43%. These results suggest that FASN is a potential molecular target for the chemotherapy of patients with OTSCC.
authors.affiliation: Corresponding Author: Edgard Graner, Department of Oral Diagnosis, School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Avenida Limeira 901, CP 52, Areão, Piracicaba, São Paulo 13414-018, Brazil. egraner@fop.unicamp.br.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Agostini
authors.forename: Luciana Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Débora C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Bastos
authors.forename: Rose M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ortega
authors.forename: Fernanda S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Seguin
authors.forename: Karina G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Zecchin
authors.forename: Helena F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Raposo
authors.forename: Helena C F
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Nivea D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Amoêdo
authors.forename: Tuula
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Salo
authors.forename: Ricardo D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Coletta
authors.forename: Edgard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Graner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D054890:Fatty Acid Synthase, Type I / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007783:Lactones / Q000008:administration & dosage; D051379:Mice; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D000077403:Orlistat; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D007783:Lactones; D000077403:Orlistat; C518729:FASN protein, human; D054890:Fatty Acid Synthase, Type I