Abordagem computacional para identificação de marcadores moleculares e de seus ligantes com potencial aplicação no tratamento do carcinoma epidermoide de cabeça e pescoço

Abstract

Introduction: The total amount of scientific literature on cancer has grown rapidly in recent years. This makes it difficult, if not impossible, to manually retrieve relevant information on the mechanisms that govern the neoplastic process. Furthermore, cancer is a complex disease, and its. Heterogeneity is particularly evident in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); one of the most common types of cancer worldwide. Objectives: The present study aimed: a) to identify genes/proteins related to HNSCC; b) to identify ligands that specifically target molecular biomarkers of interest; c) to evaluate computationally protein-ligand complexes and d) to evaluate the effect of ligands on gene expression and on carcinoma cell behavior. Methods: The search for potential markers related to HNSCC was performed by literature mining, following a flow chart that included selection of scientific articles in PubMed by MeSH terms,association of articles with genes/proteins through the gene2pubmed file, selection of genes in external data bases and manual curation steps. In order to identify potential ligands, proteins related to HNSCC and involved in inflammatory processes were used to perform molecular docking assays with known anti-inflammatory drugs. Finally, the role of piplartine, a substance extracted from the Piper longum with anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic effects, on proliferation, migration and gene expression was investigated in neoplastic cells. Results: The curated gene-to-publication assignment yielded a total of 1,370 genes related to HNSCC, with specificity of 74% and sensibility of 87%. The diversity of results allowed identifying new and mostly unexplored gene associations, revealing, for example, that processes linked to response to steroid hormone stimulus are significantly enriched with genes related to HNSCC. The results also showed that piplartine decreases viability and cell migration, and alters expression of genes involved in inflammatory responses. Conclusion: This approach allows the identification of genes related to HNSCC and is able to reveal new associations that deserve to be further studied. Piplartine, the compound selected for in vitro studies, interacts with molecular targets similar to known anti-inflammatory drugs, decreases proliferation and cell migration, and alter the expression of genes associated with HNSCC and inflammatory processes.