CXCL1 promoted the migration and invasion abilities of oral cancer cells and might serve as a promising marker of prognosis in tongue cancer

Background: Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma tends to metastasize to cervical lymphatic nodes early which leads to a 50% drop of survival rate. CXCL1 could be secreted by LNMTca8113 cell induced lymphatic endothelial cells and promoted LNMTca8113 cell migration. The current study aimed to further explore the effect of CXCL1 on the proliferation and migration abilities of tongue cancer cells and the prognostic value of serum CXCL1 in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: Cell proliferation and migration ability were analysed by CCK8 assays and transwell migration assays. Immunofluorescence technique was used to show cytoskeleton. GST pull-down assay was applied to quantify the activation of GTPases. Blood samples of patients were collected and clinicopathological characteristics were analysed.

Results: CXCL1 could promote cancer cell proliferation in appropriate concentration by PI3K/AKT pathway. It also regulated the activation of Rho GTPases to mediate the rearrangements of cytoskeleton to promote tumour cell migration. Level of plasma CXCL1 could predict the possibility of early lymphatic metastasis and had a predictive value in progression-free survival and overall survival.

Conclusions: CXCL1 could promote oral cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro and contributed theoretical knowledge for the target selection in molecular targeted therapy. Level of plasma CXCL1 might serve as a biomarker for prognosis in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients.