The Impact of microRNA-596 on Oral Cancer: Insights into Tumor Biology and Treatment Strategies

Shereen Farhana P; Ameya K P; Ashikha Shirin Usman P P; Durairaj Sekar

doi:10.2478/amma-2025-0007

Shereen Farhana P
Ameya K P
Ashikha Shirin Usman P P
Durairaj Sekar Professor (Research), RNA Biology Lab, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical And Technical Science (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/amma-2025-0007

Keywords: Oral squamous cell carcinoma, miR-596, biomarker, therapeutic target, gene expression

Abstract

Objectives

Despite advancements in treatment, oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains a major global health issue with stagnant survival rates. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), particularly miR-596, play critical roles in cancer, acting as both oncogenes and tumor suppressors. This study aims to clarify miR-596's function in OSCC and assess its potential as a therapeutic target or diagnostic biomarker.

Methods

A thorough bioinformatics analysis utilising information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) led to the selection of miR-596 for investigation. After extracting its sequence from miRBase, RNAfold was used to evaluate the secondary structure's functional characteristics. MiRNA expression levels were measured by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) on a total of 30 tissue samples, including OSCC and healthy controls. With TargetScan, the miR-596 gene targets were predicted.

Results

miR-596 is significantly downregulated in OSCC tissues compared to healthy controls. TargetScan analysis indicates that miR-596 regulates key genes involved in cell proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis, suggesting its crucial role in these pathways. Additionally, the predicted secondary structure of miR-596 indicates high stability.

Conclusion

Based on its activity as a tumor suppressor, the study suggests that miR-596 may be an important factor in the development of OSCC. Its potential use as a therapeutic target or diagnostic biomarker is highlighted by the downregulation of miR-596 in OSCC. Validating these results and investigating the therapeutic applications of miR-596 in OSCC treatment require more investigation.