Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 24, 2026

Induction and Analysis of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition
10:37

Induction and Analysis of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition

Published on: August 27, 2013

36.5K

Disulfiram inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition through TGFβ-ERK-Snail pathway independently of Smad4 to

Wenhuan Bu1, Zilin Wang1, Lin Meng1

  • 1Department of Oral Pathology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, 130000 Changchun, People's Republic of China.

Cancer Management and Research
|May 24, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Disulfiram (Dsf) effectively inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells, regardless of Smad4 mutation status. This suggests Dsf

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Smad4 loss is linked to poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).
  • Disulfiram (Dsf) exhibits anticancer properties, including the inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).
  • The effect of Dsf on Smad4-mutated versus wild-type OSCC and its underlying mechanisms require clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of Disulfiram (Dsf) in inhibiting TGFβ1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in both Smad4-mutated and Smad4 wild-type oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which Dsf affects EMT, focusing on the TGFβ-ERK-Snail pathway.
  • To evaluate the in vivo therapeutic potential of Dsf against OSCC tumor growth and metastasis.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed Dsf's impact on TGFβ1-induced EMT in CAL27 (Smad4 mutation) and SCC25 (Smad4 wild-type) OSCC cells by analyzing morphology, EMT markers, migration, and invasion.
  • Utilized the ERK-pathway inhibitor U0126 to confirm the involvement of the TGFβ-ERK-Snail pathway.
  • Examined Dsf's effects on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo using subcutaneous xenograft and intravenous tumor mouse models.

Main Results:

  • Dsf suppressed TGFβ1-induced EMT, including morphological changes, EMT marker expression, and cell migration/invasion, in both CAL27 and SCC25 cells.
  • Dsf treatment blocked ERK phosphorylation and Snail expression, indicating inhibition of the TGFβ-ERK-Snail pathway.
  • In vivo studies showed Dsf reduced tumor growth and metastasis, with decreased EMT marker expression in tumors.

Conclusions:

  • Disulfiram (Dsf) inhibits EMT in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) both in vitro and in vivo, independent of Smad4 status.
  • The mechanism involves the suppression of the TGFβ-ERK-Snail pathway.
  • Dsf demonstrates broad-spectrum anticancer potential for clinical application in OSCC treatment.
Keywords:
Smad4 mutationdisulfiramepithelial–mesenchymal transitionoral squamous cell carcinoma

More Related Videos

Induction of Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transitions in Sarcoma Cells11:42

Induction of Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transitions in Sarcoma Cells

Published on: April 7, 2017

9.8K
Modeling Oral-Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in 3D Organoids10:43

Modeling Oral-Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in 3D Organoids

Published on: December 23, 2022

4.0K

Related Concept Videos

Feedback Inhibition00:46

Feedback Inhibition

Biochemical reactions are occurring constantly in cells, converting starting substances to different products, usually with the help of enzymes that speed the reactions. Without enzymes, it would take far too long for most reactions to occur to be useful to the cell!
57.0K
Decreasing Function01:27

Decreasing Function

A decreasing function describes a relationship where the output consistently declines as the input increases. This means that for any two input values, if one is greater than the other, the corresponding output is smaller. Mathematically, a function f is decreasing on an interval I if for every x1 < x2​ in I, f (x1) > f (x2). This type of behavior is visually identified on a graph that slopes downward from left to right.The nature of a function can be analyzed by calculating...
243
Cooperative Allosteric Transitions01:58

Cooperative Allosteric Transitions

Cooperative allosteric transitions can occur in multimeric proteins, where each subunit of the protein has its own ligand-binding site. When a ligand binds to any of these subunits, it triggers a conformational change that affects the binding sites in the other subunits; this can change the affinity of the other sites for their respective ligands. The ability of the protein to change the shape of its binding site is attributed to the presence of a mix of flexible and stable segments in the...
8.7K
Properties of Transition Metals02:58

Properties of Transition Metals

Transition metals are defined as those elements that have partially filled d orbitals. As shown in Figure 1, the d-block elements in groups 3–12 are transition elements. The f-block elements, also called inner transition metals (the lanthanides and actinides), also meet this criterion because the d orbital is partially occupied before the f orbitals.
29.7K
Phase Transitions02:31

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...
22.8K
Introduction to Test of Independence01:21

Introduction to Test of Independence

In statistics, the term independence means that one can directly obtain the probability of any event involving both variables by multiplying their individual probabilities. Tests of independence are chi-square tests involving the use of a contingency table of observed (data) values.
The test statistic for a test of independence is similar to that of a goodness-of-fit test:
2.9K