BACKGROUND: Lactotransferrin (LTF) has been confirmed to act as a tumor 
suppressor in multiple cancers; however, its roles in oral squamous cell 
carcinoma (OSCC), one of malignant head and neck carcinomas, has not been 
explored.
METHODS: Here, the expression of LTF in OSCC tissues and TCA8113 cells was 
detected with RT-PCR, qPCR, and IHC. And the correlation between LTF expression 
and OSCC metastasis was assessed. MS-PCR was performed to reveal the methylation 
status in promoter regions of LTF both in OSCC tissue samples and cells. The 
influences of 5-Aza-Cdc treatment to the methylation status and expression 
levels of LTF were also analyzed. At last, the functions of LTF in OSCC 
progression were demonstrated by MTT analysis, clone formation assay, and cell 
cycle analysis in TCA8113 cells with forced ectopic expression of LTF.
RESULTS: LTF showed a low or null expression pattern in OSCC tissues and cells, 
at least partially, due to the hypermethylated status in promoter regions for 
5-Aza-Cdc, a methyltransferase inhibitor, could restore the expression of LTF in 
TCA8113 cells. And the expression level of LTF exhibited a negative correlation 
with OSCC metastasis.
CONCLUSIONS: Re-expression of LTF inhibited the growth, proliferation, as well 
as cell cycle progression of TCA8113 cells. In conclusion, hypermethylation 
contributes much to LTF inactivation in OSCC. And LTF can partially reverse the 
malignant phenotypes of OSCC cells and may be served as a potential target for 
diagnosis and therapy of OSCC in future.