Atorvastatin increases oxidative stress and inhibits cell migration of oral squamous cell carcinoma in vitro

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of atorvastatin treatment on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and tumor angiogenesis in oral squamous cell carcinomas. Material and Methods: An HN13 cell line was treated with 1 µM, 5 µM, and 10 µM of atorvastatin. VEGF-A gene expression was evaluated by quantitative real time PCR. VEGF-A protein expression was quantified from total protein and conditioned media by ELISA. Cellular oxidative stress was measured using 2′,7′-dichlorfluorescein-diacetate (DCFH-DA). Angiogenesis assay was performed using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The effect of atorvastatin on cell migration was evaluated by wound healing assay. Results: 5 µM and 10 µM of atorvastatin significantly increased VEGF-A gene expression in the HN13 cell line. Intracellular expression of the VEGF-A protein was higher in the cells treated with 5 µM and 10 µM than in the control cells. VEGF-A protein expression was also higher in the conditioned media from the atorvastatin-treated cells than in the media from the DMSO-treated cells. 5 µM and 10 µM of atorvastatin increased oxidative stress. Regarding angiogenesis assay, 5 µM of atorvastatin resulted in higher numbers of branch points, compared to the solvent. 10 µM of atorvastatin treatment resulted in significantly reduced cell migration. Conclusions: This study showed that atorvastatin increases the oxidative stress and angiogenesis in oral squamous cell carcinomas. The decrease of cell migration indicates atorvastatin's inhibitory effect in oral tumors. These results suggest that atorvastatin could increase the intracellular oxidative stress in these cells, leading to a toxic microenvironment and inhibiting their metastasis.