Pancreatic cancer: pathogenesis, prevention and treatment

Antibody-decorated chitosan-iodoacetamide-coated nanocarriers for the potential delivery of doxorubicin to breast cancer cells

Using an active targeting approach of chemotherapeutics-loaded nanocarriers (NCs) with monoclonal antibodies is a potential strategy to improve the specificity of the delivery systems and reduce adverse reactions of chemotherapeutic drugs. Specific targeting of the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2), expressed excessively in HER-2-positive breast cancer cells, can be achieved by conjugating NCs with an anti-HER-2 monoclonal antibody. We constructed trastuzumab-conjugated chitosan iodoacetamide-coated NCs containing doxorubicin (Tras-Dox-CHI-IA-NCs) as a tumor-targeted drug delivery system, during the study. Chitosan-iodoacetamide (CHI-IA) was synthesized and utilized to prepare trastuzumab-conjugated NCs (Tras-NCs). The morphology, physicochemical properties, drug loading, drug release, and biological activities of the NCs were elucidated. The Tras-NCs were spherical, with a particle size of approximately 76 nm, and had a positive zeta potential; after incorporating the drug, the size of the Tras-NC increased. A prolonged, 24-h drug release from the NCs was achieved. The Tras-NCs exhibited high cellular accumulation and significantly higher antitumor activity against HER-2-positive breast cancer cells than the unconjugated NCs and the drug solution. Therefore, Tras-Dox-CHI-IA-NCs could be a promising nanocarrier for HER-2-positive breast cancer.

Phytochemicals for the prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer: Current progress and future prospects

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, owing to its aggressive nature and suboptimal treatment options, emphasizing the need for novel therapeutic approaches. Emerging studies have exhibited promising results regarding the therapeutic utility of plant-derived compounds (phytochemicals) in pancreatic cancer. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the potential of phytochemicals in the treatment and prevention of pancreatic cancer. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was applied to collect articles for this review. Scholarly databases, including PubMed, Scopus and ScienceDirect, were queried for relevant studies using the following keywords: phytochemicals, phenolics, terpenoids, alkaloids, sulfur-containing compounds, in vitro, in vivo, clinical studies, pancreatic cancer, tumour, treatment and prevention. Aggregate results pooled from qualified studies indicate phytochemicals can inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth or decrease tumour size and volume in animal models. These effects have been attributed to various mechanisms, such as increasing proapoptotic factors, decreasing antiapoptotic factors, or inducing cell death and cell cycle arrest. Notable signalling pathways modulated by phytochemicals include the rat sarcoma/mitogen activated protein kinase, wingless-related integration site/β-catenin and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin signal transduction pathways. Clinically, phytochemicals have been found to increase survival while being well-tolerated and safe, though research is scarce. While these promising results have produced great interest in this field, further in-depth studies are required to characterize the anticancer activities of phytochemicals before they can be utilized to prevent or treat pancreatic cancer in clinical practice.

Advances in Pancreatic Cancer Treatment by Nano-Based Drug Delivery Systems

Pancreatic cancer represents one of the most lethal cancer types worldwide, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Due to the inability to diagnose it promptly and the lack of efficacy of existing treatments, research and development of innovative therapies and new diagnostics are crucial to increase the survival rate and decrease mortality. Nanomedicine has been gaining importance as an innovative approach for drug delivery and diagnosis, opening new horizons through the implementation of smart nanocarrier systems, which can deliver drugs to the specific tissue or organ at an optimal concentration, enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing systemic toxicity. Varied materials such as lipids, polymers, and inorganic materials have been used to obtain nanoparticles and develop innovative drug delivery systems for pancreatic cancer treatment. In this review, it is discussed the main scientific advances in pancreatic cancer treatment by nano-based drug delivery systems. The advantages and disadvantages of such delivery systems in pancreatic cancer treatment are also addressed. More importantly, the different types of nanocarriers and therapeutic strategies developed so far are scrutinized.

Prospective of Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis Using Cardiac Sensing

Pancreatic carcinoma (Ca Pancreas) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. The malignancies of the pancreas can be diagnosed with the help of various imaging modalities. An endoscopic ultrasound with a tissue biopsy is so far considered to be the gold standard in terms of the detection of Ca Pancreas, especially for lesions <2 mm. However, other methods, like computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are also conventionally used. Moreover, newer techniques, like proteomics, radiomics, metabolomics, and artificial intelligence (AI), are slowly being introduced for diagnosing pancreatic cancer. Regardless, it is still a challenge to diagnose pancreatic carcinoma non-invasively at an early stage due to its delayed presentation. Similarly, this also makes it difficult to demonstrate an association between Ca Pancreas and other vital organs of the body, such as the heart. A number of studies have proven a correlation between the heart and pancreatic cancer. The tumor of the pancreas affects the heart at the physiological, as well as the molecular, level. An overexpression of the SMAD4 gene; a disruption in biomolecules, such as IGF, MAPK, and ApoE; and increased CA19-9 markers are a few of the many factors that are noted to affect cardiovascular systems with pancreatic malignancies. A comprehensive review of this correlation will aid researchers in conducting studies to help establish a definite relation between the two organs and discover ways to use it for the early detection of Ca Pancreas.

Imaging Recommendations for Diagnosis, Staging, and Management of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most prevalent cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with a fatality rate equal to its incidence rate. Pancreatic cancer is a rare malignancy with a global incidence and death ranking of 14th and 7th, respectively. Pancreatic cancer cases are divided into three categories without metastatic disease: resectable, borderline resectable, or locally advanced disease. The category is determined by the tumor's location in the pancreas and whether it is abutting or encasing the adjacent arteries and/or vein/s.

The stage of disease and the location of the primary tumor determine the clinical presentation: the pancreatic head, neck, or uncinate process, the body or tail, or multifocal disease. Imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and follow-up of pancreatic cancers. Various imaging modalities available for pancreatic imaging are ultrasonography (USG), contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 18-fluoro-deoxy glucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET).

Even though surgical resection is possible in both resectable and borderline resectable non-metastatic cases, neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy has become the standard practice for borderline resectable cases as it gives a high yield of R0 resection.

Dual Role of Chitin as the Double Edged Sword in Controlling the NLRP3 Inflammasome Driven Gastrointestinal and Gynaecological Tumours

The role of NLRP3 in the tumour microenvironment is elusive. In some cancers, the activation of NLRP3 causes a worse prognosis and in some cancers, NLRP3 increases chances of survivability. However, in many cases where NLRP3 has a protumorigenic role, inhibition of NLRP3 would be a crucial step in therapy. Consequently, activation of NLRP3 would be of essence when inflammation is required. Although many ways of inhibiting and activating NLRP3 in cancers have been discussed before, not a lot of focus has been given to chitin and chitosan in this context. The availability of these marine compounds and their versatility in dealing with inflammation needs to be investigated further in relation with cancers, along with other natural extracts. In this review, the effects of NLRP3 on gastrointestinal and gynaecological cancers and the impact of different natural extracts on NLRP3s with special emphasis on chitin and chitosan is discussed. A research gap in using chitin derivatives as anti/pro-inflammatory agents in cancer treatment has been highlighted.

Effect of Shade on Agro-Morphological Parameters and Weed Flora of Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) Cultivation in the Semiarid Zone of Eastern Morocco

Saffron (Crocus sativus) has been an important medicinal plant since ancient times. This study aimed to seek the optimal light intensity for saffron growth by quantifying the effects of different shade levels on yield, vegetative growth, and weed development in the eastern region of Morocco. The plants were grown for 24 months in full sun (control) and 30%, 50%, and 70% shade. Overall, the results showed that shade positively affected the yield and vegetative growth parameters of saffron plants, with the highest yield (0.61 g/m²) and number of leaves (105 leaves/tuft) recorded when the plants were exposed to light shade (30%). The color of the leaves under the 70% shade levels was dark green. The results from the underground part showed that shade is positively correlated with the weight and diameter of daughter corms where the 70% shade recorded the highest values of weight (65 g) and percentage of large diameter corms (39%). As for weed density, this parameter was significantly affected by shade. The lowest weed density was recorded for the 70% shade treatment. In conclusion, 30% shade is suggested as optimal light irradiation for saffron cultivation.

Gastrointestinal and Pancratohepatobiliary Cancers: A Comprehensive Review on Epidemiology and Risk Factors Worldwide

A significant number of cancer cases are afflicted by gastrointestinal cancers annually. Lifestyle and nutrition have a huge effect on gastrointestinal function, and unhealthy habits have become quite widespread in recent decades, culminating in the rapid growth of gastrointestinal cancers. The most prevalent cancers are lip and mouth cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver and bile duct cancer, pancreatic cancer, and colorectal cancer. Risk factors such as red meat consumption, alcohol consumption, tea, rice, viruses such as Helicobacter pylori and Ebstein Bar Virus (EBV), along with reduced physical activity, predispose the gastrointestinal tract to damage and cause cancer. According to the rapid increase of cancer incidence and late diagnosis of gastrointestinal malignancies, further epidemiological researches remain necessary in order to make appropriate population-based preventive policies. In this study, we reviewed clinical symptoms, risk factors, preventative measures, as well as incidence and mortality rates of gastrointestinal malignancies worldwide with focus on Iranian population.

Contemporary Management of Pancreatic Cancer from an Internist Perspective

Primary care physicians are in a favorable position to curb the growing burden of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This review aims to provide an overview of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma from a primary care perspective, with a specific focus on risk factors, selection of high-risk individuals for screening, patient presentation at the primary-care clinic, and the role of the internist in supportive care. Overall, the internist is an essential member of the multidisciplinary care team with respect to optimizing patients' quality of life across various stages of the pancreatic cancer.

Evaluation of different b-values in DWI and 1H MRS for pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis: a rabbit model

Pancreatic cancer is a common malignant tumor with high incidence of metastasis. Currently, there is no absolute standard for the choice of b-value for diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for pancreatic cancer. The b-value is rarely reported in animal model study, especially in pancreatic cancer/mass pancreatitis rabbit models. The authors’ aim was to determine the different b-values to differentiate the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and mass pancreatitis in rabbit models using DWI. When comparing the effect of different b-values in diagnostic process, the pathological results could be regarded as the gold standard. In this research, 30 healthy New Zealand rabbits were selected and divided into three groups by random number table method: group 1 (pancreatic cancer), group 2 (mass pancreatitis) and the control group (healthy). After DWI (three different b-values 333, 667, 1000 s/mm², respectively) and MRI examination, the model rabbits were then killed. Afterward, the tumor mass was removed for biopsy, and occupation anatomy and tumor histopathology were examined. Fat-suppressing sequences of T₂WI, DWI, ADC, difference of ADC (DADC), and MRS were used. The present study determined that the effective differential diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis was determined at low b-values (333 s/mm²) when performed DWI inspection in rabbit models.

A Triple Combination of Metformin, Acetylsalicylic Acid, and Oseltamivir Phosphate Impacts Tumour Spheroid Viability and Upends Chemoresistance in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Introduction

Targeted multimodal approaches need to be strategically developed to control tumour growth and prevent metastatic burden successfully. Breast cancer presents a unique clinical problem because of the variety of cellular subtypes that arise. The tumour stage and cellular subtypes often dictate the appropriate clinical treatment regimen. Also, the development of chemoresistance is a common clinical challenge with breast cancer. Higher doses and additional drug agents can produce additional adverse effects leading to a more aggressive malignancy. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), metformin (Met), and oseltamivir phosphate (OP) were investigated for their efficacy to sensitize MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer and its tamoxifen (Tmx) resistant variant (MDA-MB-231-TmxR) together in combination with Tmx treatment.

Methods

Microscopic imaging, the formation of 3D multicellular tumour spheroids, immunocytochemistry, flow cytometry, Annexin V Assay, Caspase 3/7 Apoptosis Assay, tube formation assay and analysis, and WST-1 cell viability assay evaluated the formation of MCTS, morphologic changes, cell viability, apoptosis activity and the expression levels of ALDH1A1, CD44 and CD24 on the cell surface, MDA-MB231 triple-negative breast cancer, tamoxifen (Tmx) resistant variant (MDA-MB-231-TmxR).

Results

The results using a triple combination of ASA, Met and OP on MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-231-TmxR cells and their matrix-free 3D multicellular tumour spheroids (MCTS) formed by using the cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Phe-Lys peptide modified with 4-carboxybutyl-triphenylphosphonium bromide (cyclo-RGDfK(TPP)) peptide method demonstrate a consistent and significant decrease in cell and tumour spheroid viability and volume with increased apoptotic activity, and increased sensitivity to Tmx therapy. Tmx treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells in combination with ASA, Met and OP markedly reduced the CD44/CD24 ratio by 6.5-fold compared to the untreated control group. Tmx treatment of MDA-MB-231-TmxR cells in combination with ASA, Met and OP markedly reduced the ALDH1A1 by 134-fold compared to the same treatment for the parental cell line. Also, the triple combination treatment of ASA, Met, and OP inhibited vasculogenic endothelial cell tube formation and induced endothelial cell apoptosis.

Conclusion

For the first time, the findings demonstrate that repurposing ASA, Met, and OP provides a novel and promising targeted multimodal approach in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer and its chemoresistant variant.

Study of anticancer, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and silver nanoparticles production by Sidr honey from three different sources

Sidr honey is used as food and medicine in many countries. Study of immunomodulatory and anticancer activity of Sidr honey did not tested before. The aim of this work was to study the anticancer activity and immunomodulatory as well as antimicrobial potential of Sidr honey and its synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Sidr honey from three sources (two from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and one from Pakistan) was diluted to 20% and tested for its biological activities and to synthesize AgNPs. The results demonstrated that honeys could produce AgNPs (spherical shape), modulated the growth of normal splenic cells, and have antimicrobial activities. Sidr honey has anticancer activity against HepG2 but not Hela cells. Sidr honey can be used as antimicrobial agent, but can be used as anticancer agent with care as it stimulated cell growth of some lines (e.g., Hala) and inhibited another (e.g., HepG2).

Nanoemulsions: Factory for Food, Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics

Nanotechnology, particularly nanoemulsions (NEs), have gained increasing interest from researchers throughout the years. The small-sized droplet with a high surface area makes NEs important in many industries. In this review article, the components, properties, formation, and applications are summarized. The advantages and disadvantages are also described in this article. The formation of the nanosized emulsion can be divided into two types: high and low energy methods. In high energy methods, high-pressure homogenization, microfluidization, and ultrasonic emulsification are described thoroughly. Spontaneous emulsification, phase inversion temperature (PIT), phase inversion composition (PIC), and the less known D-phase emulsification (DPE) methods are emphasized in low energy methods. The applications of NEs are described in three main areas which are food, cosmetics, and drug delivery.

Identification of key microRNAs and their targets in exosomes of pancreatic cancer using bioinformatics analysis

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most lethal tumors, due to late diagnosis and limited surgical strategies. It has been reported that serum exosomal microRNAs (S-Exo-miRNAs) play a pivotal role as signaling molecules and serve as noninvasive diagnosis methods for PC. The combination of S-Exo-miRNAs with the corresponding target also plays an important role in the tumor microenvironment.Here we investigated S-Exo-miRNAs involved in PC. The gene expression profile was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The analysis was carried out using GEO2R. The targets of differentially expressed serum exosomal miRNAs (DE-S-Exo-miRNAs) were predicted by 4 bioinformatic algorithms (miRanda, miRDB, miRWalk, and Targetscan). Further analysis with gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genomes pathway (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed with Cytoscape software version 3.4.0. Subsequently, the interaction regulatory network of target genes was performed with the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database (http://www.string-db.org/) and visualized using Cytoscape software.We downloaded the gene expression profile GSE50632, which was based on an Agilent microarray GPL17660 platform containing 4 eligible samples. In total 467 DE-S-Exo-miRNAs were obtained, including 7 overexpressed miRNAs (1.50%), and 460 remaining underexpressed miRNAs (98.50%). The databases miRWalk, miRDB, miRanda, and TargetScan were used to predict their potential targets, which were subsequently submitted to Cytoscape software version 3.4.0 (www.cytoscape.org). Next the functional and pathway enrichment analysis were used for the KEGG pathway and GO categories analysis. The enrichment analysis identified the genes involved in such processes as developmental and negative regulation of multicellular organismal processes, regulation of anatomical structure morphogenesis, regulation of cell death, apoptotic processes and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, transforming growth factor - beta (TGF -β) signaling pathway, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway, and the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinases/Akt (PI3K-Akt) signaling pathway. Subsequently according to the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, the top 10 genes were obtained. The enrichment analyses of the genes involved in a significant module revealed that these genes were related to the TGF-β signaling pathway. After reviewing the literature, we identified the apoptosis genes, and their corresponding miRNAs that have a relationship with apoptosis of the tumor.This analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the roles of S-Exo-miRNAs and the related targets in the development of PC. Additionally, the present study provides promising candidate targets for early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention. However, these predictions require further experimental validation in future studies.

LncRNA TUG1 promoted viability and associated with gemcitabine resistant in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the underlying mechanism of lncRNA TUG1 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

METHODS

The expression of TUG1 was defined by qRT-PCR. The apoptotic cells were detected by flow cytometry assay. The cell migration and invasion were measured by scratch assay and Transwell assay. The level of ERK pathway was detected using Western blot.

RESULTS

Compared with normal tissues and cells, the expression of TUG1 was up-regulated in pancreatic cancer tissue and cells. Meanwhile, knockdown of TUG1 could promote PDAC cells apoptosis and inhibit PDAC cells viability, migration and invasion. In addition, overexpression of TUG1 enhanced the gemcitabine chemoresistance of PDAC cells. Surprisingly, gemcitabine combined with SCH772984 (a suppressor of ERK pathway) could reverse the drug resistance resulted from overexpression of TUG1.

CONCLUSION

TUG1 promoted the viability of PDAC cells and enhanced its resistance of gemcitabine.

CQ sensitizes human pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine through the lysosomal apoptotic pathway via reactive oxygen species

As an established anticancer drug, gemcitabine (GEM) is an effective systemic treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer (PC). However, little is known about the potential effectors that may modify tumour cell sensitivity towards GEM. Autophagy, as a physiological cellular mechanism, is involved in both cell survival and cell death. In this study, we found that exposure to GEM induced a significant increase in autophagy in a dose-dependent manner in PANC-1 and BxPC-3 cells. Inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine (CQ) and ATG7 siRNA increased GEM-induced cytotoxicity, and CQ was more effective than ATG7 siRNA. Moreover, CQ significantly enhanced GEM-induced apoptosis, while ATG7 siRNA failed to show the similar effect. Subsequently, we identified a potential mechanism of this cooperative interaction by showing that GEM with CQ pretreatment markedly triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS) boost and then increased lysosomal membrane permeability. Consequently, cathepsins released from lysosome into the cytoplasm induced apoptosis. We showed that CQ could enhance PC cells response to GEM in xenograft models. In conclusion, our data showed that CQ sensitized PC cells to GEM through the lysosomal apoptotic pathway via ROS. Thus, CQ as a potential adjuvant to GEM might represent an attractive therapeutic strategy for PC treatment.

Identification of potential prognostic ceRNA module biomarkers in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Accumulating evidence suggested that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can function as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to interact with other RNA transcripts and ceRNAs perturbation play important roles in cancer initiation and progression including pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). In this study, we constructed a PAAD-specific hallmark gene-related ceRNA network (HceNet) using paired genome-wide expression profiles of mRNA, lncRNA and miRNA and regulatory relationships between them. Based on “ceRNA hypothesis”, we analyzed the characteristics of HceNet and identified a ceRNA module comprising of 29 genes (12 lncRNAs, two miRNAs and 15 mRNAs) as potential prognostic biomarkers related to overall survival of patients with PAAD. The prognostic value of ceRNA module biomarkers was further validated in the train (Hazard Ratio (HR) =1.661, 95% CI: 1.275–2.165, p<1.00e-4), test (HR=1.546, 95% CI: 1.238-1.930, p<1.00e-4), and entire (HR=1.559, 95% CI: 1.321-1.839, p<1.00e-4) datasets. Our study provides candidate prognostic biomarkers for PAAD and increases our understanding of ceRNA-related regulatory mechanism in PAAD pathogenesis.

Overexpressions of miR-212 are associated with poor prognosis of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

The miR-212 was among the top differentially expressed miRNAs in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of miR-212 in PDAC and evaluate its correlation with major clinicopathologic features and patients' survival.

METHODS

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was adopted to examine miRNA expression in 45 pancreatic cancer and 20 normal pancreatic tissues. The relationship of miR-212 expression with clinicopathologic parameters and clinical outcome was evaluated.

RESULTS

miR-212 was confirmed to have significantly higher expression in PDAC compared with normal pancreatic tissues (51.1% vs 10%, p< 0.01). High expression of miR-212 was significantly associated with tumor size (p = 0.048) and tumor stage (p = 0.023). Moreover, in univariant analysis, patients with high expression of miR-212 demonstrate significantly poorer overall survival (p= 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

High expression of miR-212 in PDAC is associated with shorter overall survival. It may be not only a potential prognostic marker, but also a possible therapeutic target in PDAC.

Current applications and future prospects of nanomaterials in tumor therapy

Tumors are one of the most serious human diseases and cause numerous global deaths per year. In spite of many strategies applied in tumor therapy, such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, and a combination of these treatments, tumors are still the foremost killer worldwide among human diseases, due to their specific limitations, such as multidrug resistance and side effects. Therefore, it is urgent and necessary to develop new strategies for tumor therapy. Recently, the fast development of nanoscience has paved the way for designing new strategies to treat tumors. Nanomaterials have shown great potential in tumor therapy, due to their unique properties, including passive targeting, hyperthermia effects, and tumor-specific inhibition. This review summarizes the recent progress using the innate antitumor properties of metallic and nonmetallic nanomaterials to treat tumors, and related challenges and prospects are discussed.

Optimized construction of MUC1-VNTRn DNA vaccine and its anti-pancreatic cancer efficacy

Considering mucin 1-variable number tandem repeat (MUC1-VNTR_n) as a novel target for pancreatic cancer immunotherapy, the present study aimed to screen and identify the pVAX1-MUC1-VNTR_n DNA vaccine with the strongest immunogenicity. Following construction of a pVAX1-MUC1-VNTR_n plasmid, immature dendritic cells (DCs) were subjected to transfection, and mature DCs were then co-cultured with autologous T-cells. The numbers of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) secreting interferon (IFN)-γ were determined using an enzyme-linked immunospot assay, and CytoTox^® was also used to examine the MUC1-VNTR_n-specific Lethal effect of CTLs on Capan2 cells. Additional in vivo experiments in mice were performed to confirm the antitumor effect of the DNA vaccine candidate. The present study successfully constructed the pVAX1-MUC1-VNTR_n plasmid, which expresses the target protein in eukaryotic cells. Additionally, upon uptake of the pVAX1-MUC1-VNTR_n plasmid, the immature DCs differentiated into mature DCs. The levels of the DC surface molecules cluster of differentiation (CD) 80, CD86, human leukocyte antigen-antigen D related, interleukin (IL)-12, IL-17 and IFN-γ were significantly higher, while the levels of IL-10 and IL-14 were lower, in mature DCs of the stimulated groups compared with the immature DCs of the non-stimulated groups (all P<0.01). In addition, the MUC1-VNTR₆ and MUC1-VNTR₉ groups, in which DCs were capable of activating autologous T-cells, showed increased IFN-γ-producing T-cells compared with the other groups (strong MUC1-VNTR₁, weak VNTR₁, VNTR₃, VNTR₄ and MUC1-cDNA groups; all P<0.001). In addition, the Lethal effect of CTLs on Capan2 cells in these two groups was stronger compared with the other groups (all P<0.001). Furthermore, the induced protective and therapeutic immune responses in mouse experiments showed that the pVAX1-MUC1-VNTR₆DNA vaccine likely possessed the strongest immunogenicity, and its ability to inhibit panc02-MUC1 tumor growth was superior to other DNA vaccines (P<0.01). The present study provides compelling evidence that pVAX1-MUC1-VNTR_n has the potential to express the target protein in eukaryotic cells, and thatpVAX1-MUC1-VNTR₆ was characterized by the strongest Lethal effect in both in vivo and in vitro experiments.

In vitro antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing activities of crude ethyle alcohole extract of Quercus brantii L. acorn and subsequent fractions

Cancer cell resistance to widely used chemotherapeutic agents is gradually developed. Natural products, mainly isolated from medicinal plants, have been considered as valuable sources for herbal anticancer drugs. The present study aimed to evaluate in vitro antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing activities of crude ethyle alcohole extract and four fractions of Q. brantii acorn. Crude ethyle alcohole extract of Q. brantii acorn was prepared and subjected to fractionation with different polarity. Subsequently, the extract and the fractions wereevaluated for their in vitro antiproliferative activity in two cancerous (Hela and AGS) and one normal (HDFs) cell lines using MTT [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2ol) 2, 5 diphenyltetrazoliumbromide] assay. To determine whether the cytotoxicity of these compounds involved the induction of apoptosis, Hela cells were treated with IC50 concentrations of test compounds, stained with both propidium iodide (PI) and Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), and analyzed by flow cytometry. In vitro cytotoxicity assay showed that the cell viability was significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner following treatment with crude ethyle alcohole extract and Cholophorm and n-Butanol fractions. Based on the probit regression model, antiproliferative activities of crude ethyle alcohole extract, Cholophorm fraction, and n-Butanol fraction on Hela and AGS cells and HDFs cells were significantly different (P < 0.001). The results of flow cytometric analysis showed that crude ethyle alcohole extract and two fractions of Q. brantii acorn induced early apoptotic cell death. These findings suggest that crude ethyle alcohole extract and Cholophorm and n-Butanol fractions of Q. brantii acorn suppress the proliferation of cancer cells through induction of early apoptosis.

Effects of mutations in Wnt/β-catenin, hedgehog, Notch and PI3K pathways on GSK-3 activity-Diverse effects on cell growth, metabolism and cancer

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a serine/threonine kinase that participates in an array of critical cellular processes. GSK-3 was first characterized as an enzyme that phosphorylated and inactivated glycogen synthase. However, subsequent studies have revealed that this moon-lighting protein is involved in numerous signaling pathways that regulate not only metabolism but also have roles in: apoptosis, cell cycle progression, cell renewal, differentiation, embryogenesis, migration, regulation of gene transcription, stem cell biology and survival. In this review, we will discuss the roles that GSK-3 plays in various diseases as well as how this pivotal kinase interacts with multiple signaling pathways such as: PI3K/PTEN/Akt/mTOR, Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK, Wnt/beta-catenin, hedgehog, Notch and TP53. Mutations that occur in these and other pathways can alter the effects that natural GSK-3 activity has on regulating these signaling circuits that can lead to cancer as well as other diseases. The novel roles that microRNAs play in regulation of the effects of GSK-3 will also be evaluated. Targeting GSK-3 and these other pathways may improve therapy and overcome therapeutic resistance.

Identification of disease-associated pathways in pancreatic cancer by integrating genome-wide association study and gene expression data

In order to additionally understand the pathogenesis of pancreatic cancer (PC), the present study conducted pathway analysis based on genome-wide association study (GWAS) and gene expression data to predict genes that are associated with PC. GWAS data (accession no., pha002874.1) were downloaded from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database of Genotypes and Phenotypes, which included data concerning 1,896 patients with PC and 1,939 control individuals. Gene expression data [accession no., GSE23952; human pancreatic carcinoma Panc-1 transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) treatment assay] were downloaded from NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus. Gene set enrichment analysis was used to identify significant pathways in the GWAS or gene expression profiles. Meta-analysis was performed based on pathway analysis of the two data sources. In total, 58 and 280 pathways were identified to be significant in the GWAS and gene expression data, respectively, with 7 pathways significant in both the data profiles. Hsa 04350 TGF-β signaling pathway had the smallest meta P-value. Other significant pathways in the two data sources were negative regulation of DNA-dependent transcription, the nucleolus, negative regulation of RNA metabolic process, the cellular defense response, exocytosis and galactosyltransferase activity. By constructing the gene-pathway network, 5 pathways were closely associated, apart from exocytosis and galactosyltransferase activity pathways. Among the 7 pathways, 11 key genes (2.9% out of a total of 380 genes) from the GWAS data and 43 genes (10.5% out of a total of 409 genes) from the gene expression data were differentially expressed. Only Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 from the nucleolus pathway was significantly expressed in by both data sources. Overall, the results of the present analysis provide possible factors for the occurrence of PC, and the identification of the pathways and genes associated with PC provides valuable data for investigating the pathogenesis of PC in future studies.

MUC16-mediated activation of mTOR and c-Myc reprograms pancreatic cancer metabolism

MUC16, a transmembrane mucin, facilitates pancreatic adenocarcinoma progression and metastasis. In the current studies, we observed that MUC16 knockdown pancreatic cancer cells exhibit reduced glucose uptake and lactate secretion along with reduced migration and invasion potential, which can be restored by supplementing the culture media with lactate, an end product of aerobic glycolysis. MUC16 knockdown leads to inhibition of mTOR activity and reduced expression of its downstream target c-MYC, a key player in cellular growth, proliferation and metabolism. Ectopic expression of c-MYC in MUC16 knockdown pancreatic cancer cells restores the altered cellular physiology. Our LC-MS/MS based metabolomics studies indicate global metabolic alterations in MUC16 knockdown pancreatic cancer cells, as compared to the controls. Specifically, glycolytic and nucleotide metabolite pools were significantly decreased. We observed similar metabolic alterations that correlated with MUC16 expression in primary tumor tissue specimens from human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cancer patients. Overall, our results demonstrate that MUC16 plays an important role in metabolic reprogramming of pancreatic cancer cells by increasing glycolysis and enhancing motility and invasiveness.

Hyperglycemia Promotes the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Pancreatic Cancer via Hydrogen Peroxide

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and pancreatic cancer are intimately related, as approximately 85% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have impaired glucose tolerance or even DM. Our previous studies have indicated that high glucose could promote the invasive and migratory abilities of pancreatic cancer cells. We therefore explored the underlying mechanism that hyperglycemia modulates the metastatic potential of pancreatic cancer. Our data showed that streptozotocin- (STZ-) treated diabetic nude mice exhibit larger tumor size than that of the euglycemic mice. The number of nude mice that develop liver metastasis or ascites is much more in the STZ-treated group than that in the euglycemic group. Hyperglycemic mice contain a higher plasma H₂O₂-level than that from euglycemic mice. The injection of polyethylene glycol-conjugated catalase (PEG-CAT), an H₂O₂ scavenger, may reverse hyperglycemia-induced tumor metastasis. In addition, hyperglycemia could also modulate the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition- (EMT-) related factors in pancreatic tumor tissues, as the E-cadherin level is decreased and the expression of mesenchymal markers N-cadherin and vimentin as well as transcription factor snail is strongly increased. The injection of PEG-CAT could also reverse hyperglycemia-induced EMT. These results suggest that the association between hyperglycemia and poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer can be attributed to the alterations of EMT through the production of hydrogen peroxide.

Lessons from Nature: Sources and Strategies for Developing AMPK Activators for Cancer Chemotherapeutics

Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase or AMPK is a highly-conserved master-regulator of numerous cellular processes, including: Maintaining cellular-energy homeostasis, modulation of cytoskeletaldynamics, directing cell growth-rates and influencing cell-death pathways. AMPK has recently emerged as a promising molecular target in cancer therapy. In fact, AMPK deficiencies have been shown to enhance cell growth and proliferation, which is consistent with enhancement of tumorigenesis by AMPK-loss. Conversely, activation of AMPK is associated with tumor growth suppression via inhibition of the Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex-1 (mTORC1) or the mTOR signal pathway. The scientific communities' recognition that AMPK-activating compounds possess an anti-neoplastic effect has contributed to a rush of discoveries and developments in AMPK-activating compounds as potential anticancer-drugs. One such example is the class of compounds known as Biguanides, which include Metformin and Phenformin. The current review will showcase natural compounds and their derivatives that activate the AMPK-complex and signaling pathway. In addition, the biology and history of AMPK-signaling and AMPK-activating compounds will be overviewed, their anticancer-roles and mechanisms-of-actions will be discussed, and potential strategies for the development of novel, selective AMPK-activators with enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity will be proposed.

Curcumin inhibits hypoxia-induced epithelial‑mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer cells via suppression of the hedgehog signaling pathway

Hypoxic microenvironment, a common feature of pancreatic cancer, is associated with tumor proliferation, metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) changes. In recent years, many natural agents, including curcumin, have been proven to possess the ability to inhibit the progression of pancreatic cancer. However, whether curcumin is able to suppress hypoxia-induced pancreatic cancer progression and the underlying mechanisms are still not fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether curcumin affects hypoxia-induced EMT and the activation of Hh signaling pathway in pancreatic cancer. The human pancreatic cancer cell line Panc-1, was treated with hypoxic condition and curcumin. Cell proliferation was assessed by the MTT assay. Wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay were used to detect the migratory and invasive activity of cancer cells. The EMT-related factors, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin were detected by QT-PCR, western blot analysis and immunofluorescence staining. The Hh signaling-related factors, SHH, SMO and GLI1 were detected by western blot analysis. The results of present study showed that curcumin could not only inhibit the hypoxia-induced cell proliferation, migration and invasion in pancreatic cancer, but also mediate the expression of EMT-related factors. In addition, curcumin remarkably inhibited hypoxia-mediated activation of Hh signaling pathway. Taken together, these data indicate that curcumin plays an important role in suppressing hypoxia-induced pancreatic cancer metastasis by inhibiting the Hh signaling pathway. Curcumin might be a potential candidate for chemoprevention of this severe disease.

Gene expression profile analysis of pancreatic cancer based on microarray data

The present study identified differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) between pancreatic cancer (PC) tissues and normal tissues, and assessed genetic factors associated with the pathogenesis of PC. The mRNA expression microarray dataset, GSE16515, containing 52 samples, including 16 paired tumor and normal tissue samples, and 20 tumor samples, was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus. Raw data were normalized and DEGs were identified. Subsequently, clustering was performed, protein-protein interaction networks were drawn, and functional and pathway enrichment analyses of the DEGs were performed. Copy number variations of DEGs were also identified. A total of 1,765 DEGs between PC and normal tissues were identified, including 1,312 upregulated and 453 downregulated DEGs. Upregulated DEGs were associated with the regulation of nucleocytoplasmic and intracellular transport, whereas downregulated DEGs were associated with the response to organic substances and hormone stimulus. The pancreatic cancer pathway was connected to three DEGs, namely transforming growth factor β1 (TGFB1), TGFβ receptor 1 (TGFBR1) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), which had 2, 3 and 5 CNVs, respectively. These results indicated the important roles of TGFB1, TGFBR1 and EGF in the pathogenesis of PC. These genes may be potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of PC.

Superoxide dismutase promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of pancreatic cancer cells via activation of the H2O2/ERK/NF-κB axis

Our previous study revealed that superoxide dismutase (SOD)-dependent production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was able to increase the invasive ability of pancreatic cancer cells. However, the underlying mechanisms by which SOD enhances metastasis are still not fully elucidated. As epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key player in tumor metastasis, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether SOD affects EMT in pancreatic cancer cells and the related mechanism. Human pancreatic cancer cells BxPC-3 and Panc-1 were utilized to examine the level of hydrogen peroxide (H2O) in the absence or presence of SOD and catalase (CAT). The activation of phospho-ERK and phospho-NF-κB were measured by western blot analysis. Wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay were used to detect the migratory and invasive potential of cancer cells. The EMT-related factors, E-cadherin, N-cadherin and vimentin were detected by QT-PCR and western blot analysis. The results of present study showed that SOD not only increased cell migration and invasion in pancreatic cancer, but also mediated the expression of EMT-related factors and cell morphology. In addition, the levels of phospho-ERK and phospho-NF-κB were induced by SOD which could be counter-balanced by both CAT treatment and PD 98059 (an ERK inhibitor). Taken together, these data indicate that SOD promotes the invasive and migratory activity of pancreatic cancer. Blocking the H2O2/ERK/NF-κB axis might be a novel strategy for the treatment of this severe malignancy.

Dextrin and poly(lactide)-based biocompatible and biodegradable nanogel for cancer targeted delivery of doxorubicin hydrochloride

Herein, we report the development and application of a novel biocompatible, chemically crosslinked nanogel for use in anticancer drug delivery.

Identification of genes and pathways associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by bioinformatics analyses

This study aimed to explore the underlying genes and pathways associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by bioinformatics analyses. Gene expression profile GSE43795 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between six PDAC and five non-neoplastic pancreatic tissue samples were analyzed using the limma package. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were performed, followed by functional annotation and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction. Finally, the sub-network was identified and pathway enrichment analysis was performed on the contained DEGs. A total of 374 downregulated and 559 upregulated DEGs were identified. The downregulated DEGs were enriched in GO terms associated with digestion and transport and pathways related to metabolism, while the upregulated DEGs were enriched in GO terms associated with the cell cycle and mitosis and pathways associated with the occurrence of cancer including the cell cycle pathway. Following functional annotation, the oncogene pituitary tumor-transforming 1 (PTTG1) was upregulated. In the PPI network and sub-network, cell division cycle 20 (CDC20) and BUB1 mitotic checkpoint serine/threonine kinase B (BUB1B) were hub genes with high connectivity degrees. Additionally, DEGs in the sub-network including cyclin B1 (CCNB1) were mainly enriched in the cell cycle and p53 signaling pathways. In conclusion, the cell cycle and p53 signaling pathways may play significant roles in PDAC, and DEGs including CDC20, BUB1B, CCNB1 and PTTG1 may be potential targets for PDAC diagnosis and treatment.

Overexpressions of DLL4 and CD105 are Associated with Poor Prognosis of Patients with Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Delta-like ligand 4(DLL4) and Endoglin(CD105) labeled microvessel density(MVD) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and evaluate their correlation with major clinicopathologic features and patients' survival. Forty-two pancreatic cancer and 20 normal pancreatic tissues were included in the study. Immunohistochemical staining was employed to assess the expression level of DLL4 both in tumor cells and stromal vascular endothelial cells, as well as CD105 which was used to determine MVD. The relationships of DLL4 and CD105 expression with clinicopathologic parameters and clinical outcome were evaluated. Both DLL4 and CD105-labeled microvessel were observed highly immunostained in PDAC cases, and high expression of DLL4 was positively correlated with MVD. Moreover, the high expression of DLL4 was significantly associated with histological grade, node stage and TNM stage in not only the cancer cells but also stroma; while high expression of CD105 was associated with histological grade, TNM stage, node stage and distant metastasis. In univariant analysis, patients with high expression of DLL4 and CD105 tended to significantly poorer overall survival. Both DLL4 and CD105 were overexpressed in a large proportion of patients with PDAC. The expression of DLL4 was positively correlated with CD105-labeled MVD, indicating DLL4 may involved in angiogenesis. In addition, high DLL4 and CD105 expression correlated with the poor clinical outcome and overall survival in patients with PDAC.

Investigation of Astragalus honey and propolis extract's cytotoxic effect on two human cancer cell lines and their oncogen and proapoptotic gene expression profiles

Background:

Cancer is one of the major fatal human diseases. Natural products have been used in the treatment of cancer for long time. Bee products including honey and propolis have been introduced for malignancy treatment in recent decades. In this study cytotoxicity of bee products and their effects on the expression of proapoptotic genes have been investigated.

Materials and Methods:

Cytotoxic effects of Astragalus honey, ethanol extract of propolis and a sugar solution (as control) against HepG2, 5637 and L929 cell lines have been evaluated by the MTT assay. Total RNAs of treated cells were isolated and p53 and Bcl-2 gene expression were evaluated, using real-time PCR.

Results:

Propolis IC50 values were 58, 30 and 15 μg/ml against L929, HepG2 and 5637, respectively. These values for honey were 3.1%, 2.4% and 1.9%, respectively. Propolis extract has increased the expression of the Bcl-2 gene in all cell lines whereas the honey decreased that significantly (P < 0.05). Also, we found that honey and propolis decreased p53 gene expression in HepG2 and 5637 significantly but not in L929 cells. The sugar solution increased the expression of p53 in two cancer cell lines but no significant changes were observed in the expression of this gene in L929 as normal mouse cell.

Conclusion:

By downregulation of Bcl-2 expression it could be concluded that the cytotoxicity of honey was more than two fold against tested cancer cells compared with the sugar solution. No significant changes were observed in the expression of p53 in honey-treated cells. Propolis had no significant effect on Bcl-2 and p53 gene expressions (P > 0.05).

An insight on electrospun-nanofibers-inspired modern drug delivery system in the treatment of deadly cancers

This review gives an insight into the process of electrospinning, its essential parameters, the types of drug incorporation and the works reported on common dreadful cancers.

Genomic analysis of drug resistant pancreatic cancer cell line by combining long non-coding RNA and mRNA expression profling

Recently, more and more studies show that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a very important role in various biological processes. However, research on lncRNA in the tumor cell drug resistance of it is seldom reported. In this study, gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cell line SWl990/GZ was obtained by treating parental cell line SWl990 in vitro with increasing dosage of gemcitabine in culture medium intermittently for ten months. We identified 4983 of 13310 detected lncRNAs demonstrated > 2-fold abnormally expressed in response to the gemcitabine-resistant, among of them, 1993 and 2990 lncRNAs were upregulated and downregulated. Meanwhile, 4759 mRNAs exhibited at least a 2-fold, of these, 2671 and 2088 mRNAs were upregulated and downregulated. Gene Ontology analysis and Pathway analysis revealed that differential expression mRNA involved in significant biological regulatory function and some genes may be particular to pancreatic cancer chemotherapy resistance. Quantitative real time PCR confirmed the changes of six lncRNAs (RP11-58D2.1, lincRNA-ZNF532, AP000221.1, CTC-338M12.5, CR619813, DDX6P) and nine mRNAs (SYT1, FAM171B, ZNF331, FAM187B, CYP1A1, SRXN1, HIST1H2BL, TOMM40L and SPP1) in SW1990 and SW1990/GZ. We also found that the upregulating of gemcitabine on the expression of lincRNA-ZNF532 was time-dependent. Gemcitabine at a range from 1.0 μM to 16.0 μM induced a increase of lincRNA-ZNF532 in SW1990 cells. The relative level of DDX6P is opposite to that of lincRNA-ZNF53 in the same circumstance. In conclusion, the dysregulated lncRNAs and mRNAs identified in this work may represent good candidates for future diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

miRNAs in pancreatic cancer: therapeutic potential, delivery challenges and strategies

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a severe pancreatic malignancy and is predicted to victimize 1.5% of men and women during their lifetime (Cancer statistics: SEER stat fact sheet, National Cancer Institute, 2014). miRNAs have emerged as a promising prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic tool to fight against pancreatic cancer. miRNAs could modulate gene expression by imperfect base-pairing with target mRNA and hence provide means to fine-tune multiple genes simultaneously and alter various signaling pathways associated with the disease. This exceptional miRNA feature has provided a paradigm shift from the conventional one drug one target concept to one drug multiple target theory. However, in vivo miRNA delivery is not fully realized due to challenges posed by this special class of therapeutic molecules, which involves thorough understanding of the biogenesis and physicochemical properties of miRNA and delivery carriers along with the pathophysiology of the PDAC. This review highlights the delivery strategies of miRNA modulators (mimic/inhibitor) in cancer with special emphasis on PDAC since successful delivery of miRNA in vivo constitutes the major challenge in clinical translation of this promising class of therapeutics.

Serum cytokine profile in patients with pancreatic cancer

OBJECTIVE

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a deadly disease because of late diagnosis and chemoresistance. We aimed to find a panel of serum cytokines representing diagnostic and predictive biomarkers for pancreatic cancer.

METHODS

A cytokine antibody array was performed to simultaneously identify 507 cytokines in sera of patients with pancreatic cancer and healthy controls. The nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to pairwise compare the controls, the pretreated patients, and the posttreated patients. Fold changes greater than or equal to 1.5 or less than or equal to 1/1.5 were considered significant. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the performance of the model. A leave-one-out cross-validation was used for estimating prediction error.

RESULTS

Comparing the sera of pretreated patients against the control samples, the cytokines fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF-10/keratinocyte growth factor-2 (KGF-2), chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 11 interferon inducible T cell alpha chemokine (I-TAC)/chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 11 (CXCL11), oncostatin M (OSM), osteoactivin/glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B, and stem cell factor (SCF) were found significantly overexpressed. Besides, the cytokines CD30 ligand/tumor necrosis factor superfamily, member 8 (TNFSF8), chordin-like 2, FGF-10/KGF-2, growth/differentiation factor 15, I-TAC/CXCL11, OSM, and SCF were differentially expressed in response to treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

We propose a role for FGF-10/KGF-2, I-TAC/CXCL11, OSM, osteoactivin/glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B, and SCF as novel diagnostic biomarkers. CD30 ligand/TNFSF8, chordin-like 2, FGF-10/KGF-2, growth/differentiation factor 15, I-TAC/CXCL11, OSM, and SCF might represent as predictive biomarkers for gemcitabine and erlotinib response of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Novel therapeutic targets for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer has become the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the last two decades. Only 3%-15% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer had 5 year survival rate. Drug resistance, high metastasis, poor prognosis and tumour relapse contributed to the malignancies and difficulties in treating pancreatic cancer. The current standard chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer is gemcitabine, however its efficacy is far from satisfactory, one of the reasons is due to the complex tumour microenvironment which decreases effective drug delivery to target cancer cell. Studies of the molecular pathology of pancreatic cancer have revealed that activation of KRAS, overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2, inactivation of p16^INK4A and loss of p53 activities occurred in pancreatic cancer. Co-administration of gemcitabine and targeting the molecular pathological events happened in pancreatic cancer has brought an enhanced therapeutic effectiveness of gemcitabine. Therefore, studies looking for novel targets in hindering pancreatic tumour growth are emerging rapidly. In order to give a better understanding of the current findings and to seek the direction in future pancreatic cancer research; in this review we will focus on targets suppressing tumour metastatsis and progression, KRAS activated downstream effectors, the relationship of Notch signaling and Nodal/Activin signaling with pancreatic cancer cells, the current findings of non-coding RNAs in inhibiting pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, brief discussion in transcription remodeling by epigenetic modifiers (e.g., HDAC, BMI1, EZH2) and the plausible therapeutic applications of cancer stem cell and hyaluronan in tumour environment.

PRIMA-1, a mutant p53 reactivator, induces apoptosis and enhances chemotherapeutic cytotoxicity in pancreatic cancer cell lines

TP53 mutation is a common event in many cancers, including pancreatic adenocarcinoma, where it occurs in 50-70 % of cases. In an effort to reactivate mutant p53 protein, several new drugs are being developed, including PRIMA-1 and PRIMA-1(Met)/APR-246 (p53 reactivation and induction of massive apoptosis). PRIMA-1 has been shown to induce apoptosis in tumor cells by reactivating p53 mutants, but its effect in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. Here we investigated the effects of PRIMA-1 on cell viability, cell cycle and expression of p53-regulated proteins in PANC-1 and BxPC-3 (mutant TP53), and CAPAN-2 (wild-type TP53) pancreatic cell lines. Treatment with PRIMA-1 selectively induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in p53 mutant cells compared to CAPAN-2 cells. The growth suppressive effect of PRIMA-1 was markedly reduced in p53 mutant cell lines transfected with p53 siRNA, supporting the role of mutant p53 in PRIMA-1 induced cell death. Moreover, treatment with the thiol group donor N-acetylcysteine completely blocked PRIMA-1-induced apoptosis and reinforced the hypothesis that thiol modifications are important for PRIMA-1 biological activity. In combination treatments, PRIMA-1 enhanced the anti-tumor activity of several chemotherapic drugs against pancreatic cancer cells and also exhibited a pronounced synergistic effect in association with the Mdm2 inhibitor Nutlin-3. Taken together, our data indicate that PRIMA-1 induces apoptosis in p53 mutant pancreatic cancer cells by promoting the re-activation of p53 and inducing proapoptotic signaling pathways, providing in vitro evidence for a potential therapeutic approach in pancreatic cancer.

Uncovering the pathogenesis and identifying novel targets of pancreatic cancer using bioinformatics approach

Pancreatic cancer is a uniformly lethal disease that can be difficult to diagnose at its early stage. Thus, our present study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism and identify new targets for this disease. The data GSE16515, including 36 tumor and 16 normal samples were available from Gene Expression Omnibus. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened out using Robust Multichip Averaging and LIMMA package. Moreover, gene ontology and pathway enrichment analyses were performed to DEGs. Followed with protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction by STRING and Cytoscape, module analysis was conducted using ClusterONE. Finally, based on PubMed, text mining about these DEGs was carried out. Total 274 up-regulated and 93 down-regulated genes were identified as the common DEGs and these genes were discovered significantly enriched in cell adhesion and extracellular region terms, as well as ECM-receptor interaction pathway. In addition, five modules were screened out from the up-regulated PPI network with none in down-regulated network. Finally, the up-regulated genes, including MIA, MET and CEACAMS, and down-regulated genes, such as FGF, INS and LAPP, had the most references in text mining analysis. Our findings demonstrate that the up- and down-regulated genes play important roles in pancreatic cancer development and might be new targets for the therapy.

Resveratrol inhibits the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of pancreatic cancer cells via suppression of the PI-3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway

Resveratrol (trans-3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene), a natural polyphenolic compound detected in grapes, berries, and peanuts, possesses a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties, including anti-tumor metastasis activities. However, the underlying mechanisms through which resveratrol inhibits the metastasis of pancreatic cancer are still not fully elucidated. As epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key player for metastasis in tumor, the aim of this study is to determine whether resveratrol affects EMT in pancreatic cancer cells and the related mechanism. The results showed that resveratrol not only inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in a dose-dependent manner, but also mediated the expression of EMT-related genes (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, MMP-2, and MMP-9) which are important for cancer cellular motility, invasiveness and metastasis during tumorigenesis. In addition, the levels of phospho-Akt and phospho- NF-κB in BxPC-3 and Panc-1 cells were reduced by both resveratrol and LY294002 (a PI3-K inhibitor). Furthermore, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-induced alterations in cell morphology that are characteristic of EMT as well as increased cell invasive ability could also be reversed by resveratrol. Taken together, these data indicate that resveratrol suppresses pancreatic cancer migration and invasion through the inhibition of the PI-3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway. This study suggests that resveratrol may be a potential anticancer agent for pancreatic cancer.

Diet and supplements and their impact on colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer is the third commonest cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death among men and women. It has been proposed that dietary factors are responsible for 70-90% of colorectal cancer and diet optimization may prevent most cases.

AIM

To evaluate the role of dietary components and supplements in colorectal cancer.

METHODS

Bibliographical searches were performed in Pubmed for the terms "diet and colorectal cancer", "diet and colon cancer", "diet and rectal cancer", "nutrition and colorectal cancer", "probiotics and colorectal cancer", "prebiotics and colorectal cancer", "alcohol and cancer" and "colorectal cancer epidemiology".

RESULTS

Consumption of processed or red meat, especially when cooked at high temperatures may be associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer. The evidence for dietary fibre is unclear but foods that contain high amounts of fibre are usually rich in polyphenols which have been shown to alter molecular processes that can encourage colorectal carcinogenesis. Meta-analyses provide evidence on the benefits of circulating, diet-derived and supplemented, vitamin D and Calcium. We also found that diets rich in Folate may prevent colorectal carcinoma. The evidence on dietary micronutrients such as Zinc and Selenium in association with colorectal cancer is not conclusive. It has been suggested that there may be a direct association between alcohol intake and colorectal cancer. In vitro and in vivo studies have highlighted a possible protective role of prebiotics and probiotics.

CONCLUSIONS

The lack of randomized trials and the presence of confounding factors including smoking, physical activity, obesity and diabetes may often yield inconclusive results. Carefully designed randomized trials are recommended.