Bromodomain-containing protein 4 inhibition improves the efficacy of cisplatin and radiotherapy in oral squamous cell carcinoma by suppressing programmed cell death-ligand 1 expression

The bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is highly expressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and plays a crucial role in tumour progression. However, the impact of BRD4 on the efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy by regulating the expression of programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in OSCC remains unclear. In this study, we found that the BRD4 inhibitor JQ1 effectively enhanced the inhibitory effects of cisplatin and radiotherapy on cell proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of OSCC cells by cisplatin and radiotherapy. Furthermore, treatment with JQ1 reversed the increase of the expression of PD-L1 by cisplatin and radiotherapy, whereas the overexpression of PD-L1 partially countered the beneficial effects of JQ1 on the anticancer efficacy of cisplatin and radiotherapy. These results demonstrate that the inhibition of BRD4 improves the anticancer effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy by suppressing the expression of PD-L1 in OSCC, suggesting that targeting BRD4 could be a promising therapeutic approach for chemo/radioresistant OSCC.