Magnetic nanoparticle carrying verbascoside suppresses oral squamous cell carcinoma progression by targeting ICAM1...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Oncology

Background:

• Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent malignancy demanding novel therapeutic approaches.
• Verbascoside (VB) is a bioactive compound with potential antitumor properties, but its clinical application is limited by bioavailability.
• Developing targeted drug delivery systems can enhance the efficacy of natural compounds like VB against OSCC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a magnetic nanoparticle-based drug delivery system (VB-Fe3O4) for verbascoside (VB).
• To investigate the enhanced bioavailability, tumor-targeting capability, and antitumor efficacy of VB-Fe3O4 in OSCC.
• To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of VB-Fe3O4 action in OSCC cells.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of verbascoside-loaded magnetic nanoparticles (VB-Fe3O4).
• In vitro evaluation using human OSCC cell line (HSC-3), including apoptosis, proliferation, and invasion assays.
• In vivo assessment in OSCC transplanted and experimental metastasis tumor models.
• Analysis of the IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway and key metastasis-related genes.

Main Results:

• VB-Fe3O4 exhibited superior tumor-targeting and drug accumulation compared to free VB.
• VB-Fe3O4 significantly inhibited OSCC cell proliferation, invasion, and induced apoptosis via the IL-6/STAT3 pathway.
• Intercellular cell adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1) was identified as a primary target of VB.
• VB-Fe3O4 suppressed IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation and downregulated metastasis-associated genes (VCAM1, MUC1, ezrin, MMP-9).
• Greater tumor suppression was observed in vivo with VB-Fe3O4 compared to free VB.

Conclusions:

• The VB-Fe3O4 nanoplatform effectively enhances the antitumor activity of verbascoside against OSCC.
• This system demonstrates precision delivery and molecular targeting, offering a promising therapeutic strategy for OSCC management.
• Targeting the IL-6/STAT3 pathway and ICAM1 presents a viable approach for combating OSCC progression and metastasis.