{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,15]],"date-time":"2026-07-15T19:30:48Z","timestamp":1784143848737,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,17]],"date-time":"2023-05-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1684281600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.mdpi.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a commonly occurring head and neck cancer and it is characterized by a high metastasis grade. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the effect of BAY-117082, a selective NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor, in an in vivo orthotopic model of OSCC and its role in the invasiveness and metastasis processes in neighbor organs such as lymph node, lung, and spleen tissues. Our results demonstrated that BAY-117082 treatment, at doses of 2.5 mg\/kg and 5 mg\/kg, was able to significantly reduce the presence of microscopic tumor islands and nuclear pleomorphism in tongue tissues and modulate the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway activation in tongue tissues, as well as in metastatic organs such as lung and spleen. Additionally, BAY-117082 treatment modulated the epithelial\u2013mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in tongue tissue as well as in metastatic organs such as lymph node, lung, and spleen, also reducing the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), particularly MMP2 and MMP9, markers of cell invasion and migration. In conclusion, the obtained data demonstrated that BAY-117082 at doses of 2.5 mg\/kg and 5 mg\/kg were able to reduce the tongue tumor area as well as the degree of metastasis in lymph node, lung, and spleen tissues through the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway inhibition.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers15102796","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,18]],"date-time":"2023-05-18T07:03:58Z","timestamp":1684393438000},"page":"2796","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Therapeutic Potential of BAY-117082, a Selective NLRP3 Inflammasome Inhibitor, on Metastatic Evolution in Human Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Giovanna","family":"Casili","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D\u2019Alcontres, 31, 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Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marco","family":"Portelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical and Dental Science, Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Angela","family":"Militi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D\u2019Alcontres, 31, 98166 Messina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6131-3690","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Salvatore","family":"Cuzzocrea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D\u2019Alcontres, 31, 98166 Messina, 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