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Inhibitory effects of dietary glucosylceramides on squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in NOD/SCID mice

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Abstract

Background

Sphingolipids, components of cellular membranes in eukaryotic cells, have roles in the regulation of tumor growth, inflammation, angiogenesis, and immunity. We investigated the effects of dietary glucosylceramides, sphingolipids isolated from rice bran, on tumor growth of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods

The tumor cell line SCCKN cells isolated from well-differentiated human head and neck cancer were subcutaneously inoculated into the right flank of NOD/SCID mice, to establish an SCCKN xenograft model. Rice bran glucosylceramides (300 mg/kg/day) were administered orally to the mice for 14 consecutive days.

Results

Dietary glucosylceramides significantly inhibited the growth of the xenograft tumor in comparison with the control group. The TUNEL stain revealed that treatment of mice with glucosylceramides increased the number of apoptotic cells in the implanted tumor tissues and that apoptosis induction was accompanied by the formation of active/cleaved caspase-3.

Conclusion

These results suggest that dietary glucosylceramides possibly exert anti-tumor activity by inducing apoptosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, their potential usefulness in treatment and prevention of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma warrants further investigation.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by the Sapporo Biocluster “Bio-S”, the Knowledge Cluster Initiative of the Ministry of Education, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan), and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (Start-up) 21890144) (to K.K.).

Conflict of interest

M. Kikuchi is employed by Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical. No other author has a conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Nishi-Machi 86, Yonago, 683-8503, Japan

    Kazunori Fujiwara, Kei Fukushima, Hiroaki Yazama & Hiroya Kitano

  2. Division of Clinical Laboratory Medicine and Hematology/Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Nishi-Machi 86, Yonago, 683-8503, Japan

    Kazuyuki Kitatani & Toshiro Okazaki

  3. Department of Hematology and Immunology, Kanazawa Medical University, Uchinada, 920-0293, Japan

    Hisanori Umehara

  4. Product Design and Development Section, Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical Co., Ltd., Aichi, 493-8001, Japan

    Mitsunori Kikuchi

  5. Laboratory of Biomembrane and Biofunctional Chemistry, Faculty of Advanced Life Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan

    Yasuyuki Igarashi

Authors
  1. Kazunori Fujiwara
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  2. Kazuyuki Kitatani
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  3. Kei Fukushima
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  4. Hiroaki Yazama
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  5. Hisanori Umehara
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  6. Mitsunori Kikuchi
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  7. Yasuyuki Igarashi
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  8. Hiroya Kitano
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  9. Toshiro Okazaki
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Kazunori Fujiwara or Toshiro Okazaki.

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Fujiwara, K., Kitatani, K., Fukushima, K. et al. Inhibitory effects of dietary glucosylceramides on squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in NOD/SCID mice. Int J Clin Oncol 16, 133–140 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-010-0141-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-010-0141-y

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