Photodynamic Therapy Mediated by 5-aminolevulinic Acid Promotes the Upregulation and Modifies the Intracellular Expression of Surveillance Proteins in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Expression of proteins related to cell surveillance has been described in tumors presenting resistance to photodynamic therapy (PDT). The aim of this study was to verify whether there was upregulation of proteins related to resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) after PDT. OSCC was chemically induced in rats and treated after one cycle of PDT mediated by 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA-PDT). Immunolabeling of p-NF kappa B, Bcl-2, survivin, iNOS, p-Akt, p-mTOR and cyclin D1 was performed after the treatment. There was increased expression of Bcl-2 (P = 0.008), iNOS (P = 0.020), p-Akt (P = 0.020) and p-mTOR (P = 0.010) by surviving neoplastic cells after PDT when compared to the control. In conclusion, after one cycle of 5-ALA-mediated PDT, Bcl-2, p-Akt, p-mTOR and iNOS were upregulated in neoplastic cells of OSCC, suggesting an activation of antiapoptosis and cell proliferation pathways. This fact must be considered in the establishment of PDT protocols for OSCC treatment, mainly those in which PDT will be combined with chemotherapy drugs targeted at the studied proteins.