Inhibitory effect of Porphyromonas gingivalis‐derived phosphoethanolamine dihydroceramide on acid ceramidase expression in oral squamous cells

The maintenance of diminished acid ceramidase (ASAH1) gene expression leading to the accumulation of antiproliferative intracellular ceramides in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has emerged as a prospective oral cancer therapeutic regimen. Our published study demonstrated that the key periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis downregulates the expression patterns of ASAH1 mRNA in normal epithelial cells in vitro. Therefore, P. gingivalis may also beneficially diminish the expression of ASAH1 in OSCC. Because a uniquely structured P. gingivalis‐derived phosphoethanolamine dihydroceramide (PEDHC) inhibits the proliferation of normal human fibroblasts, this study aimed to test the effect of PEDHC on the survival of human oral squamous OECM‐1 cells in vitro. We demonstrated that the P. gingivalis dihydroceramide‐null (ΔPG1780) strain upregulates the expression of ASAH1 mRNA and promotes aggressive proliferation and migration of OECM‐1 cells compared to the parent P. gingivalis‐W83 strain. In addition, the intracellular concentration of ceramides was dramatically elevated in OECM‐1 cells exposed to PEDHC in vitro. Furthermore, PEDHC inhibited expression patterns of ASAH1 mRNA as well as some genes associated with degradation of the basement membranes and extracellular matrix, for example, MMP‐2, ADAM‐17 and IL‐6, in OECM‐1 cells. Altogether, these data indicated that PEDHC produced by P. gingivalis inhibits acid ceramidase expression, promotes intracellular ceramide accumulation and suppresses the survival and migration of OSCC cells in vitro. Further studies are needed to determine molecular mechanisms of PEDHC‐mediated inhibitory effect(s) on OSCC using in vivo models of oral cancer.