Adrb2 And Cox2 Synergistically Promote Oscc Progression Via Ras

To investigate the effect of combined knockdown of β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) on migration and invasion activities of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to explore the intrinsic synergistic molecular mechanisms. Human OSCC cell lines Cal27 and SAS were transfected alone or combined with lentivirus-mediated shRNA targeting β2-AR (sh-ADRB2) and COX-2 (sh-PTGS2), transfection efficiency was verified by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Cells proliferation, migration, and invasion were assessed using the CCK-8 assay, cell scratch assay and transwell invasion assay respectively. The expression levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a key effector of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), angiotensin II (Ang II) and angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7) were detected by Western blot and ELISA. The mRNA and protein expression levels of β2-AR and COX-2 were both downregulated in respective groups after knockdown. The proliferation, migration, and invasive activity of OSCC cells were all significantly inhibited, with the most significant inhibitory effect observed in the combined knockdown group. The expression levels of ACE and Ang II were both significantly downregulated, while the expression level of Ang 1-7 was significantly upregulated, with the same trend being most significant in the combined knockdown group. The knockdown of β2-AR synergize with the knockdown of COX-2 in inhibiting the proliferation, migration and invasion activities of OSCC cells by down-regulating the expression of ACE and Ang II and up-regulating the expression of Ang 1-7.