Antimetastatic Potential of Garcinone E in Human Oral Cancer Cells

Objective: Oral cancer presents as a devastating type of malignancy. It is predominant in populations with highuse of alcohol and various forms of tobacco as well as poor diets with low intake of fruits and vegetables. The presentstudy focused on the potential of Garcinone E to inhibit HSC-4 oral cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion.Methods: MTT and colony forming assays were performed to study antiproliferative effects of Garcinone E. Hoechststaining was used to determine levels of apoptosis, with cell invasion and scratch assays conducted for migration andinvasion characteristics. The levels of MMPs and cytokines were quantified in Garcinone E treated cells by ELISA.Results: Garcinone E inhibited the proliferation and colony forming potential of HSC-4 cells. It also suppressedmigration and invasion with inhibition of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression. Moreover, it elevated IL-2 and reducedIL-6 expression in HSC-4 cells. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate for the first time that Garcinone E might inhibitmetastasis of an oral cancer cell line by blocking invasion, migration and MMP production.