Investigation of the role of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid stimulated WWOX' in head and neck cancer

In this thesis study, the biological effects of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HMW-HA) in head and neck cancer and its potential interaction with the tumor suppressor gene WWOX were investigated. Applications were conducted on the SCC-25 cancer cell line and the HET-1A normal epithelial cell line to evaluate the effects of HMW-HA on cell viability, cytotoxicity, apoptotic markers, and hyaluronidase (HYAL1) levels. Molecular docking analyses were performed to identify potential binding sites of HMW-HA on the WWOX protein. Additionally, RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses were employed to assess the expression levels of WWOX and related genes. The findings demonstrated that HMW-HA upregulated WWOX expression and modulated the expression of certain apoptosis-related genes. These results suggest that co-targeting HMW-HA and WWOX may represent a promising therapeutic strategy in head and neck cancers.