Biomolecular alterations temporally anticipate microarchitectural modifications of collagen in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

Lucrezia Togni; Michele Furlani; Alessia Belloni; Nicole Riberti; Alessandra Giuliani; Valentina Notarstefano; Chiara Santoni; Elisabetta Giorgini; Corrado Rubini; Andrea Santarelli; Marco Mascitti

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.110303

Biomolecular alterations temporally anticipate microarchitectural modifications of collagen in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma

iScience. 2024 Jun 17;27(7):110303. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110303. eCollection 2024 Jul 19.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Specialistic and Dental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, via Tronto 10, 60126 Ancona, Italy.
² Department of Life and Environmental Science, Marche Polytechnic University, via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, Italy.
³ Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, via dei Vestini 31, 66013 Chieti, Italy.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Marche Polytechnic University, via Tronto 10, Ancona, Italy.
⁵ Dentistry Clinic, National Institute of Health and Science of Aging, IRCCS INRCA, via Tronto 10, 60126 Ancona, Italy.

Abstract

High resolution analysis of collagen bundles could provide information on tumor onset and evolution. This study was focused on the microarchitecture and biomolecular organization of collagen bundles in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC). Thirty-five OTSCC biopsy samples were analyzed by synchrotron-based phase-contrast microcomputed tomography and Fourier transform infrared imaging (FTIRI) spectroscopy. PhC-microCT evidenced the presence of reduced and disorganized collagen in the tumor area compared to the extratumoral (ExtraT) one. FTIRI also revealed a reduction of folded secondary structures in the tumor area, and highlighted differences in the peritumoral (PeriT) areas in relation with the OTSCC stage, whereby a significantly lower amount of collagen with less organized fibers was found in the PeriT stroma of advanced-OTSCC stages. Interestingly, no significant morphometrical mismatches were detected in the same region by PhC-microCT analysis. These results suggest that biomolecular alterations in the OTSCC stroma temporally anticipate structural modifications of collagen bundle microarchitecture.

Keywords: Biochemistry; Biophysics.