Circular RNA circMDM2 accelerates the glycolysis of oral squamous cell carcinoma by targeting miR-532-3p/HK2

Abstract

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) function as an essential regulator in the progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the potential roles and mechanism of circRNAs in OSCC are still elusive. Here, this research investigates the roles and molecular mechanism of novel circRNA (circMDM2) in OSCC progression. Clinically, circMDM2 was overexpressed in OSCC tissue and cells, and the overexpression served as a poor prognostic factor for OSCC patients. Functionally, cellular experiments confirmed that circMDM2 accelerated OSCC cell proliferation and glycolysis in vitro and circMDM2 knockdown repressed the tumour growth in vivo. Mechanistically, circMDM2 sponged miR-532-3p to promote the hexokinase 2 (HK2), forming the circMDM2/miR-532-3p/HK2 axis. In conclusion, these findings demonstrated that circMDM2/miR-532-3p/HK2 axis promotes the proliferation and glycolysis of OSCC, rendering a potential diagnostic biomarker and prospective therapeutic target for OSCC.