ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Minerva Dental and Oral Science 2025 Jan 20

DOI: 10.23736/S2724-6329.24.04922-2

Copyright © 2024 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Stevioside as a potential therapeutic agent: inhibiting cell growth and regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transitions in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Vishnu Priya VEERARAGHAVAN ¹, Selvaraj JAYARAMAN ¹, Maria Maddalena MARRAPODI ² ✉, Vincenzo RONSIVALLE ³, Marco CICCIÙ ³, Giuseppe MINERVINI ^{4, 5}

¹ Center of Molecular Medicine and Diagnostics (COMManD), Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India; ² Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialist Surgery, Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania, Naples, Italy; ³ Department of General Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, School of Dentistry, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; ⁴ Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, India; ⁵ Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Dental Specialties, Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania, Naples, Italy

BACKGROUND: Oral cancer is a predominant and aggressive form of head and neck cancer with limited treatment options. Stevioside, a naturally occurring biocompatible compound, has gained attention for its potential therapeutic properties, although its molecular mechanistic role in OSCC merely understood. This study aims to elucidate the impact of stevioside on OSCC cells, focusing on its inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMT).
METHODS: KB cells, representative of OSCC, were subjected to stevioside treatment in a time-dependent manner. The findings obtained from the MTT assay revealed a notable suppression of KB cell growth following 48 hours of treatment with stevioside.
RESULTS: The IC50 values, which represent the concentration at which the inhibitory effect of stevioside is at 50% at 110.54 µM, as determined by this assay, were subsequently utilized further for the analysis of gene expression through RT-PCR. Furthermore, our investigation involved the examination of EMT-related genes (ECADH, SNAIL1, SLUG, and VIM) using molecular docking analysis.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study sheds light on the significant role of stevioside in oral cancer. The observed inhibition of KB cell proliferation and its pronounced impact on EMT-related gene expression indicate the potential of stevioside as a promising therapeutic agent in the context of OSCC. The multifaceted effects of stevioside on OSCC cells present an exciting avenue for advancing our understanding of this devastating disease and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.

KEY WORDS: Mouth neoplasms; Stevioside; Cell proliferation; Gene expressions; Cell growth processes