Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression of β1 adrenergic receptors(β1-AR) and β2 adrenergic receptors(β2-AR) in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissues and their clinical significance. Methods A total of 60 cases of squamous cell carcinoma tissues and corresponding para-carcinoma tissues, resected by the oral and maxillofacial surgery of Guangxi Medical University College of Stomatology from July 2017 to July 2018, were collected, and the normal oral mucosal epithelial tissues of 15 non-squamous cell carcinoma patients during the same period were also collected. RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of β1-AR and β2-AR mRNA and protein, and Cox regression was used to analyze their relationship with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. Results The relative expression levels of β1-AR, β2-AR proteins and β2-AR mRNA in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissues were higher than those of para-carcinoma tissues(P<0.01) and normal oral mucosal epithelial tissues(P＜0.05). The expression levels of β1-AR, β2-AR mRNA and proteins were correlated with clinical stage, and the expression level of β2-AR was also correlated with lymph node metastasis and postoperative recurrence(both P<0.05). The 1-year, 3-year overall survival rate and progression-free survival rate in the β2-AR high expression group were lower than those in the β2-AR low expression group(χ2=3.945, P=0.047; χ2=9.286, P=0.002), but β1-AR expression level was not correlated with patients′overall survival and progression-free survival. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, multivariable Cox regression showed that the low protein expression of β2-AR was a protective factor for overall survival(HR=0.149, 95%CI: 0.028-0.785, P=0.025). Conclusions β1-AR and β2-AR are highly expressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma tissues.  Patients with high expression of β2-AR have a poor prognosis and may be a potential prognostic indicator for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Key words: Oral squamous cell carcinoma, β1-AR, β2-AR, Recurrence, Prognosis