FASN INHIBITION WITH TVB-3166 IN ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA CELL LINES

Introduction Over-expression of fatty acid synthase (fasn) is associated with poor prognosis in several human cancers, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Objective To evaluate the effects of the fasn inhibitor TVB-3166 on the cell viability, morphology, cell cycle and migration of SCC-9 and SCC-9 LN-1 cells derived from tongue OSCC. Study Design Cell viability was determined using standard MTT assay after 48 hours of treatment with increasing doses of TVB-3166. IC50 was calculated with the aid of CompuSyn software. Morphology and cell migration assay were evaluated using phase contrast microscopy and cell cycle by flow cytometry. Results TVB-3166 significantly reduced cell viability in a dose-dependent manner in both cells lines. IC50 was 30 μM and 37 μM for SCC-9 and LN-1, respectively. TVB-3166 induced morphologic changes of the cells to a fusiform pattern. In SCC-9 cells the treatment reduced cell migration, diminished the number of cells in the S phase, and increased the number of cells in G0/G1 phase. Conclusions Our preliminary results suggest that fasn inhibition with TVB-3166 affects important processes of tumor progression in cell lines derived from OSCC.