Human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cell line release of endogenous anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol, and their antiproliferative effect via exogenous supplementation: an in vitro study

Student admission to the Atılım University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics started in 2017. Our Department is the only academic institution to offer undergraduate-level education completely in English in the field of Nutrition and Dietetics in Ankara. The studies of our department may be classified into two main categories; education and research. The current education programs are offered taking into consideration the awareness of the responsibility in offering a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics; by competent instructors in the field, and with an inter-disciplinary approach. Our aim for the future alumni of our undergraduate program is to undertake their responsibilities in the light of their information with a professional insight, and the confidence to constantly update themselves at hospitals, polyclinics, public health centers, ministries, catering institutions, food companies, universities and such where they may be employed in positions such as health care professionals, academicians, researchers, directors or policy makers.

Abstract

The level of the major endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) are altered in several types of carcinomas, and are known to regulate tumor growth. Thusly, this study hypothesized that the HEp-2 human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) cell line releases AEA and 2-AG, and aimed to determine if their exogenous supplementation has an anti-proliferative effect in vitro. In this in vitro observational study a commercial human LSCC cell line (HEp-2) was used to test for endogenous AEA and 2-AG release via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The anti-proliferative effect of AEA and 2-AG supplementation was evaluated via WST-1 proliferation assay. It was observed that the HEp-2 LSCC cell line released AEA and 2-AG; the median quantity of AEA released was 15.69 ng mL(-1) (range: 14.55-15.95 ng mL(-1)) and the median quantity of 2-AG released was 2.72 ng (-1) (range: 2.67-2.74 ng mL(-1)). Additionally, both AEA and 2-AG exhibited an anti-proliferative effect. The anti-proliferative effect of 2-AG was stronger than that of AEA. These findings suggest that AEA might function via a CB1 receptor-independent pathway and that 2-AG might function via a CB2-dependent pathway. The present findings show that the HEp-2 LSCC cell line releases the major endocannabinoids AEA and 2-AG, and that their supplementation inhibits tumor cell proliferation in vitro. Thus, cannabinoid ligands might represent novel drug candidates for laryngeal cancers, although functional in vivo studies are required in order to validate their potency.

Description

köse, sevil/0000-0003-2188-9534; AYDIN, CANSET/0000-0001-6288-636X; Nemutlu, Emirhan/0000-0002-7337-6215; Suslu, Nilda/0000-0001-9901-3044; KORKUSUZ, PETEK/0000-0002-7553-3915