Hydrogen Sulfide Is Increased in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Compared to Adjacent Benign Oral Mucosae

• Published in: Anticancer research Vol. 38; no. 7; p. 3843
• Main Authors: Meram, Andrew T, Chen, Jie, Patel, Stavan, Kim, Dongsoo D, Shirley, Brett, Covello, Paul, Coppola, Domenico, Wei, Eric X, Ghali, Ghali, Kevil, Christopher G, Shackelford, Rodney E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece International Institute of Anticancer Research 01.07.2018
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Benign; Blotting, Western; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - metabolism; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Enzymes; High-performance liquid chromatography; Humans; Hydrogen sulfide; Hydrogen Sulfide - metabolism; In vivo methods and tests; Liquid chromatography; Malignancy; MAP kinase; Middle Aged; Mouth Mucosa - metabolism; Mouth Neoplasms - metabolism; Oral cancer; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Patients; Proteins; Squamous cell carcinoma; Stat3 protein; Synthesis; Telomerase reverse transcriptase; Tissue analysis; Tissue Array Analysis; Western blotting; Hydrogen sulfide; cystathionine γ-lyase; H2S; 3-mercaptopyruvate; mitoNEET; cystathionine-β-synthase
• ISSN: 0250-7005; 1791-7530
• DOI: 10.21873/anticanres.12668

Hydrogen sulfide (H S) and the enzymes that synthesize it, cystathionine-b-synthase, cystathionine γ-lyase, and 3-mercaptopyruvate, are increased in different human malignancies. Due to its short half-life, H S concentrations have not been directly measured in a human malignancy. Here we directly measured in vivo H S levels within oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Punch biopsies of OSCC and benign mucosae from 15 patients were analyzed by HPLC, western blotting, and tissue microarray analyses. H S concentrations were significantly higher in OSCC compared to adjacent benign oral mucosae. Western blot and tissue microarray studies revealed significantly increased cystathionine-b-synthase, cystathionine γ-lyase, and 3-mercaptopyruvate, phopho-Stat3, mitoNEET, hTERT, and MAPK protein levels in OSCC. H S concentrations and the enzymes that synthesize it are significantly increased in OSCC. Here, for the first time H S concentrations within a living human malignancy were measured and compared to adjacent counterpart benign tissue.