Fermented lingonberry juice inhibits oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma invasion in vitro similarly to curcumin

Background: Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) cells are highly proliferative and invasive. Lingonberry contains several polyphenolic compounds similar to curcumin. We hypothesize that fermented lingonberry juice (FLJ) has an anti-invasive and anti-proliferative effect on OTSCC cells similarly to curcumin, which is known to be anticarcinogenic. Materials and Methods: FLJ, curcumin dissolved in ethanol, or curcumin loaded in Candida extracellular vesicles (EVs) were added to more (HSC-3) and less aggressive (SCC-25) OTSCC cells. Cell proliferation was measured with a 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine kit and invasion in the threedimensional Myogel spheroid assay. Statistical analyses were completed with one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc testing. Results: Both FLJ and curcumin significantly reduced the proliferation and invasion of HSC-3 and SCC-25 cells. The effects of curcumin were not improved when cells were treated with curcumin loaded within EVs. Conclusion: Our results suggest that FLJ, like curcumin, has an anti-carcinogenic effect on aggressive OTSCC cells in vitro.