circ_0004872 inhibits proliferation, invasion, and glycolysis of oral squamous cell carcinoma by sponged miR‐424‐5p

OBJECTIVE: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common oral malignant tumors. circ_0004872 can inhibit the progression of gastric cancer, but its effect on the growth and metastasis of OSCC is still unclear. METHODS: qRT‐PCR was used to detect the expression levels of circ_0004872 and miR‐424‐5p in cancer tissues of OSCC patients and adjacent normal tissues, OSCC cell lines, and human normal oral keratinocytes (HOK). CCK‐8, cell colony formation, flow cytometry, and transwell assay were used to detect cell proliferation rate, viability, apoptosis rate, and invasion ability. Use glucose/lactic acid kit to assay cell glycolysis ability. The dual‐luciferase reporter gene experiment and RIP experiment verified the relationship between circ_0004872 and miR‐424‐5p. The protein levels were examined by Western blot. RESULTS: The expression of circ_0004872 was significantly downregulated in OSCC tissues and cells, and the overexpression of circ_0004872 inhibited the proliferation, vitality, invasion, and glycolysis of OSCC cells, and promoted apoptosis. The expression of miR‐424‐5p was greatly upregulated in OSCC tissues and OSCC cells. circ_0004872 can adsorb miR‐424‐5p in OSCC cells, and circ_0004872 can reverse the promoting effect of miR‐424‐5p overexpression on the process of OSCC cells. CONCLUSION: circ_0004872 suppresses the proliferation, invasion, and glycolysis of OSCC cells by sponged miR‐424‐5p, and promotes apoptosis, which can be used as a potential target for early diagnosis and targeted therapy of OSCC.