J Korean Assoc Oral Maxillofac Surg.  2002 Dec;28(6):434-439.

The effect of genistein in oral squamous cell carcinoma with respect to the angiogenesis and basement membrane invasion

• Kim YH
• Yun PY
• Myoung H
• Kim MJ

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common head and neck cancers. OSCC generally has a poor prognosis due to its tendency towards a local invasion and subsequent metastasis, which is mediated by multiple proteolytic enzymes and angiogenesis. Soy products contain high levels of isoflavonoids, including the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genistein, which has been identified as a potent inhibitor of cell proliferation and in vitro angiogenesis. The purpose of this in vitro study is to evaluate the anti-cancer effect of genistein with respect to the angiogenesis and basement membrane invasion in OSCC. The highly invasive OSCC cell line, HSC-3 cells were cultured in the presence of 10 muM genistein for 24h. To evaluate the effects of genistein on the invasiveness and the gelatinolytic activity, in vitro invasion assay and zymography were performed. In order to evaluate the effect on the VEGF and bFGF mRNA expression, RT-PCR and northern hybridization reaction, and chemiluminescence detection were applied. The in vitro invasion assay showed that the genistein treatment reduced the cellular invasion through the artificial basement membrane and significant difference between the control group and the genistein treated group was shown in MMP-2 activity. Especially, the 62 kDa activated form of MMP-2 in the control group was 1.8 times higher than that in the genistein treated group. The results of the northern blot analyses indicated that VEGF mRNA expression in the genistein treated group was significantly down regulated. This study showed that genistein inhibits angiogenesis and reduces basement membrane invasion in OSCC. It seems to support the possibility of genistein as an anti-cancer agent.

MeSH Terms

Basement Membrane*
Blotting, Northern
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell*
Cell Line
Cell Proliferation
Genistein*
Head
Luminescence
Neck
Neoplasm Metastasis
Peptide Hydrolases
Prognosis
Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
RNA, Messenger
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
Genistein
Peptide Hydrolases
Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
RNA, Messenger
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A