New avenues in pancreatic cancer: exploiting microRNAs as predictive biomarkers and new approaches to target aberrant metabolism

The function of microRNA related to cancer-associated fibroblasts in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal malignant tumor characterized by a poor prognosis. A prominent feature of PDAC is the rich and dense stroma present in the tumor microenvironment (TME), which significantly hinders drug penetration. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), activated fibroblasts originating from various cell sources, including pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), play a critical role in PDAC progression and TME formation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, single-stranded non-coding RNA molecules that are frequently involved in tumorigenesis and progression, exhibiting either oncolytic or oncogenic activity. Increasing evidence suggests that aberrant expression of miRNAs can mediate interactions between cancer cells and CAFs, thereby providing novel therapeutic targets for PDAC treatment. In this review, we will focus on the potential roles of miRNAs that target CAFs or CAFs-derived exosomes in PDAC progression, highlighting the feasibility of therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring aberrantly expressed miRNAs associated with CAFs, offering new pathways for the clinical management of PDAC.

Machine learning and explainable artificial intelligence reveals the MicroRNAs associated with survival of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients

Dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) play a significant role in cancer development and metastasis. In literature, miRNAs have been used for the survival prediction of different types of cancers using AI. Although AI is useful for diagnosis and prognosis prediction of cancer, however, a major criticism of incorporating it into medical fields is that it is essentially a mechanistically uninterpretable opaque "black box", and hence it may not have the required level of accountability, transparency, and reliability in decisions of cancer diagnosis and prognosis for their adoption in clinical settings. Therefore, there is need to develop intelligent models which may explain their prediction so that they may be reliably used by the clinicians. As dysregulated miRNAs are reported to cause cancer metastasis hence, they can play role in survival of patient. Therefore, there is needed to develop ML based techniques which may automatically indicate specific miRNAs involved in survival of patients. In this research, Machine Learning and Explainable AI (XAI) based models have been developed for survival prediction of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSC) patients using miRNA sequences and clinical datasets. miRNAs dataset contains the data of 485 HNSC patients and clinical dataset contains data of 528 patients. The proposed XAI based model explains its prediction by showing the specific miRNA sequences involved in survival of the patients to demonstrate its reliability to be used by clinicians for therapeutic decisions. In this study, it has been shown that explainable ML can provide explicit knowledge of how models make their predictions, which is necessary for increasing the trust and adoption of innovative ML techniques in oncology and healthcare.

Intrathecal lactate dehydrogenase A inhibitors FX11 and oxamate alleviate chronic constriction injury-induced nociceptive sensitization through neuroinflammation and angiogenesis

BACKGROUND

Neuropathic pain involves neuroinflammation and upregulation of glycolysis in the central nervous system. Unfortunately, few effective treatments are available for managing this type of pain. The overactivation of lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), an essential enzyme in glycolysis, can cause neuroinflammation and nociception. This study investigated the spinal role of LDHA in neuropathic pain.

METHOD

Using immunohistochemical analysis, nociceptive behavior, and western blotting, we evaluated the cellular mechanisms of intrathecal administration of LDHA inhibitors, including FX11 and oxamate, in chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic rats.

RESULT

FX11 and oxamate attenuated CCI-induced neuronal LDHA upregulation and nociceptive sensitization. Moreover, CCI-induced neuroinflammation, microglial polarization, and angiogenesis were attenuated by LDHA inhibitors. These inhibitors regulate the TANK binding kinase-1 (TBK1)/hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF-1α) axis, crucial for controlling inflammation and new blood vessel growth. Additionally, CCI-induced nuclear LDHA translocation, as associated with oxidative stress resistance, was attenuated by LDHA inhibitors.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, LDHA may be a potential therapeutic target for treating neuropathic pain by regulating neuroinflammation and angiogenesis.

Natural compounds as lactate dehydrogenase inhibitors: potential therapeutics for lactate dehydrogenase inhibitors-related diseases

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a crucial enzyme involved in energy metabolism and present in various cells throughout the body. Its diverse physiological functions encompass glycolysis, and its abnormal activity is associated with numerous diseases. Targeting LDH has emerged as a vital approach in drug discovery, leading to the identification of LDH inhibitors among natural compounds, such as polyphenols, alkaloids, and terpenoids. These compounds demonstrate therapeutic potential against LDH-related diseases, including anti-cancer effects. However, challenges concerning limited bioavailability, poor solubility, and potential toxicity must be addressed. Combining natural compounds with LDH inhibitors has led to promising outcomes in preclinical studies. This review highlights the promise of natural compounds as LDH inhibitors for treating cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Role of exosomes in transferring chemoresistance through modulation of cancer glycolytic cell metabolism

Chemoresistance constitute a major obstacle in cancer treatment, leading to limited options and decreased patient survival. Recent studies have revealed a novel mechanism of chemoresistance acquisition: the transfer of information via exosomes, small vesicles secreted by various cells. Exosomes play a crucial role in intercellular communication by carrying proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites, influencing cancer cell behavior and response to treatment. One crucial mechanism of resistance is cancer metabolic reprogramming, which involves alterations in the cellular metabolic pathways to support the survival and proliferation of drug-resistant cancer cells. This metabolic reprogramming often includes increased glycolysis, providing cancer cells with the necessary energy and building blocks to evade the effects of chemotherapy. Notably, exosomes have been found to transport glycolytic enzymes, as identified in proteomic profiling, leading to the reprogramming of metabolic pathways, facilitating altered glucose metabolism and increased lactate production. As a result, they profoundly impact the tumor microenvironment, promoting tumor progression, survival, immune evasion, and drug resistance.Understanding the complexities of such exosome-mediated cell-to-cell communication might open new therapeutic avenues and facilitate biomarker development in managing cancers characterized by aggressive glycolytic features. Moreover, given the intricate nature of metabolic abnormalities combining future exosome-based-targeted therapies with existing treatments like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies holds promise for achieving synergistic effects to overcome resistance and improve cancer treatment outcomes.

A retrospect study based on real-world data to observe metabolic function in cancer patients using albumin-bound paclitaxel

There is substantial evidence that albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel) is effective and safe for the treatment of breast, lung and pancreatic cancers. However, it can still cause adverse effects by affecting cardiac enzymes, hepatic enzyme metabolism and blood routine related indicators, which affects the use of chemotherapy for a full course of treatment. However, there are no relevant clinical studies to systematically observe the effects and dynamics of albumin-bound paclitaxel on cardiac enzymes, liver enzyme metabolism, and routine blood-related indices. The purpose of our study was to determine the levels of serum creatinine (Cre), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), white blood cells (WBC) and hemoglobin (HGB) in cancer patients treated with albumin-conjugated paclitaxel. This study retrospectively analyzed 113 patients with cancer. Patients who had received two cycles of nab-paclitaxel 260 mg/m² (administered intravenously on days 1, 8, and 15 of each 28-day cycle) were selected. Serum Cre, AST, ALT, LDH, CK, and CK-MB activities, WBC counts, and HGB levels were measured before and after treatment with two cycles. Fourteen cancer types were analyzed. The distribution of cancer types in patients was mainly concentrated in lung, ovarian, and breast cancer. Nab-paclitaxel treatment markedly decreased Cre, AST, LDH, and CK activities in the serum and WBC counts and HGB levels, respectively. Serum Cre and CK activities and HGB levels were remarkably downregulated at baseline compared to healthy controls. Patients receiving nab-paclitaxel treatment cause metabolic disorders in tumor patients by reducing the decrease of Cre, AST, LDH, CK, CK-MB, WBC and HGB indexes, thus inducing the occurrence of cardiovascular events, hepatotoxic events and fatigue and other symptoms. Therefore, for tumor patients, although receiving nab-paclitaxel improves the anti-tumor effect, it is still necessary to closely monitor the changes of related enzymatic and routine blood indicators, so as to detect and intervene at an early stage.

Optimal microRNA Sequencing Depth to Predict Cancer Patient Survival with Random Forest and Cox Models

(1) Background: tumor profiling enables patient survival prediction. The two essential parameters to be calibrated when designing a study based on tumor profiles from a cohort are the sequencing depth of RNA-seq technology and the number of patients. This calibration is carried out under cost constraints, and a compromise has to be found. In the context of survival data, the goal of this work is to benchmark the impact of the number of patients and of the sequencing depth of miRNA-seq and mRNA-seq on the predictive capabilities for both the Cox model with elastic net penalty and random survival forest. (2) Results: we first show that the Cox model and random survival forest provide comparable prediction capabilities, with significant differences for some cancers. Second, we demonstrate that miRNA and/or mRNA data improve prediction over clinical data alone. mRNA-seq data leads to slightly better prediction than miRNA-seq, with the notable exception of lung adenocarcinoma for which the tumor miRNA profile shows higher predictive power. Third, we demonstrate that the sequencing depth of RNA-seq data can be reduced for most of the investigated cancers without degrading the prediction abilities, allowing the creation of independent validation sets at a lower cost. Finally, we show that the number of patients in the training dataset can be reduced for the Cox model and random survival forest, allowing the use of different models on different patient subgroups.

Application of carbon nanotubes in sensing/monitoring of pancreas and liver cancer

Liver and pancreatic tumors are among the third leading causes of cancer-associated death worldwide. In addition to poor prognosis, both cancer types are diagnosed at advanced and metastatic stages without typical prior symptoms. Unfortunately, the existing theranostic approaches are inefficient in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted increasing attention in this context due to their distinct properties, including variable functionalization capability, biocompatibility, and excellent thermodynamic and optical features. As a consequence, they are now regarded as one of the most promising materials for this application. The current review aims to summarize and discuss the role of CNT in pancreatic and liver cancer theranostics. Accordingly, the breakthroughs achieved so far are classified based on the cancer type and analyzed in detail. The most feasible tactics utilizing CNT-based solutions for both cancer diagnosis and treatment are presented from the biomedical point of view. Finally, a future outlook is provided, which anticipates how the R&D community can build on the already developed methodologies and the subsequent biological responses of the pancreatic and liver cancer cells to the directed procedures.

Physical exercise and the functions of microRNAs

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) control RNA translation and are a class of small, tissue-specific, non-protein-coding RNAs that maintain cellular homeostasis through negative gene regulation. Maintenance of the physiological environment depends on the proper control of miRNA expression, as these molecules influence almost all genetic pathways, from the cell cycle checkpoint to cell proliferation and apoptosis, with a wide range of target genes. Dysregulation of the expression of miRNAs is correlated with several types of diseases, acting as regulators of cardiovascular functions, myogenesis, adipogenesis, osteogenesis, hepatic lipogenesis, and important brain functions. miRNAs can be modulated by environmental factors or external stimuli, such as physical exercise, and can eventually induce specific and adjusted changes in the transcriptional response. Physical exercise is used as a preventive and non-pharmacological treatment for many diseases. It is well established that physical exercise promotes various benefits in the human body such as muscle hypertrophy, mental health improvement, cellular apoptosis, weight loss, and inhibition of cell proliferation. This review highlights the current knowledge on the main miRNAs altered by exercise in the skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, bone, adipose tissue, liver, brain, and body fluids. In addition, knowing the modifications induced by miRNAs and relating them to the results of prescribed physical exercise with different protocols and intensities can serve as markers of physical adaptation to training and responses to the effects of physical exercise for some types of chronic diseases. This narrative review consists of randomized exercise training experiments with humans and/or animals, combined with analyses of miRNA modulation.

Circ_0072008, an oncogene in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, contributes to tumour cell malignant progression and glycolysis by regulating miR-545-3p/SLC7A11 axis

BACKGROUND

The hsa_circRNA_103809 (circ_0072088) has been an emerging tumour regulator in human cancers, and is identified as one most aberrantly expressed circRNA in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, the role of circ_0072088 remains unclear in PDAC cells.

METHODS

Expression of circ_0072088, microRNA (miR)-545-3p and solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) was detected by real-time quantitative PCR and western blotting. Cell progression was measured by cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay, transwell assays and flow cytometry, as well as xenograft tumour models. Glycolysis was evaluated by commercial assay kits. The interaction among circ_0072088, miR-545-3p and SLC7A11 was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay.

RESULTS

Circ_0072088 was upregulated in PDAC tumours and cells; besides, high circ_0072088 level was associated with high tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) stage. The circ_0072088 siRNA suppressed cell viability, migration, invasion, extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), lactate production, glucose uptake, and ATP generation, but promoted apoptosis rate and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) in SW1990 and PANC-1 cells. In vivo, circ_0072088 knockdown retarded tumour growth of PANC-1 cells. Overexpressing miR-545-3p mimicked circ_0072088 siRNA-induced actions, and inhibited cell progression and glycolysis of SW1990 and PANC-1 cells. Moreover, SLC7A11 downregulation could be mediated by both circ_0072008 siRNA and miR-545-3p mimic, and participating in suppressive role in cell progression and glycolysis of SW1990 and PANC-1 cells. In mechanism, miR-545-3p was targeted by circ_0072008, and SLC7A11 was target of miR-545-3p.

CONCLUSION

Circ_0072088 elicited oncogenic role in malignant cell progression and glycolysis of PDAC cells through circ_0072088/miR-545-3p/SLC7A11 pathway.HighlightsCirc_0072088 was upregulated in PDAC tumours and was associated with high tumour burden.Blocking circ_0072088 suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and glycolysis in PDAC cells.Circ_0072088 could directly regulate miR-545-3p, and SLC7A11 was a target of miR-545-3p.Restoring miR-545-3p mimicked the effects of circ_0072088 knockdown in PDAC cell in vitro.

Splicing deregulation, microRNA and notch aberrations: fighting the three-headed dog to overcome drug resistance in malignant mesothelioma

INTRODUCTION

Malignant mesothelioma (MMe) is an aggressive rare cancer of the mesothelium, associated with asbestos exposure. MMe is currently an incurable disease at all stages mainly due to resistance to treatments. It is therefore necessary to elucidate key mechanisms underlying chemoresistance, in an effort to exploit them as novel therapeutic targets.

AREAS COVERED

Chemoresistance is frequently elicited by microRNA (miRNA) alterations and splicing deregulations. Indeed, several miRNAs, such as miR-29c, have been shown to exert oncogenic or oncosuppressive activity. Alterations in the splicing machinery might also be involved in chemoresistance. Moreover, the Notch signaling pathway, often deregulated in MMe, plays a key role in cancer stem cells formation and self-renewal, leading to drug resistance and relapses.

EXPERT OPINION

The prognosis of MMe in patients varies among different tumors and patient characteristics, and novel biomarkers and therapies are warranted. This work aims at giving an overview of MMe, with a special focus on state-of-the-art treatments and new therapeutic strategies against vulnerabilities emerging from studies on epigenetics factors. Besides, this review is also the first to discuss the interplay between miRNAs and alternative splicing as well as the role of Notch as new promising frontiers to overcome drug resistance in MMe.

Application of Proteomics in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Biomarker Investigations: A Review

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a highly aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis is usually detected at the advanced stage of the disease. The only US Food and Drug Administration-approved biomarker that is available for PDAC, CA 19-9, is most useful in monitoring treatment response among PDAC patients rather than for early detection. Moreover, when CA 19-9 is solely used for diagnostic purposes, it has only a recorded sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 82% in symptomatic individuals. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify reliable biomarkers for diagnosis (specifically for the early diagnosis), ascertain prognosis as well as to monitor treatment response and tumour recurrence of PDAC. In recent years, proteomic technologies are growing exponentially at an accelerated rate for a wide range of applications in cancer research. In this review, we discussed the current status of biomarker research for PDAC using various proteomic technologies. This review will explore the potential perspective for understanding and identifying the unique alterations in protein expressions that could prove beneficial in discovering new robust biomarkers to detect PDAC at an early stage, ascertain prognosis of patients with the disease in addition to monitoring treatment response and tumour recurrence of patients.

Potential Role of Exosomes in the Chemoresistance to Gemcitabine and Nab-Paclitaxel in Pancreatic Cancer

In recent years, a growing number of studies have evaluated the role of exosomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cancer (PDAC) demonstrating their involvement in a multitude of pathways, including the induction of chemoresistance. The aim of this review is to present an overview of the current knowledge on the role of exosomes in the resistance to gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel, which are two of the most commonly used drugs for the treatment of PDAC patients. Exosomes are vesicular cargos that transport multiple miRNAs, mRNAs and proteins from one cell to another cell and some of these factors can influence specific determinants of gemcitabine activity, such as the nucleoside transporter hENT1, or multidrug resistance proteins involved in the resistance to paclitaxel. Additional mechanisms underlying exosome-mediated resistance include the modulation of apoptotic pathways, cellular metabolism, or the modulation of oncogenic miRNA, such as miR-21 and miR-155. The current status of studies on circulating exosomal miRNA and their possible role as biomarkers are also discussed. Finally, we integrated the preclinical data with emerging clinical evidence, showing how the study of exosomes could help to predict the resistance of individual tumors, and guide the clinicians in the selection of innovative therapeutic strategies to overcome drug resistance.

Warburg and pasteur phenotypes modulate cancer behavior and therapy

Energetic pathways combine in the heart of metabolism. These essential routes supply energy for biochemical processes through glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. Moreover, they support the synthesis of various biomolecules employed in growth and survival over branching pathways. Yet, cellular energetics are often misguided in cancers as a result of the mutations and altered signaling. As nontransformed and Pasteur-like cells metabolize glucose through oxidative respiration when only oxygen is sufficient, some cancer cells bypass this metabolic switch and run glycolysis at higher rates even in the presence of oxygen. The phenomenon is called aerobic glycolysis or the Warburg effect. An increasing number of studies indicate that both Warburg and Pasteur phenotypes are recognized in the cancer microenvironment and take vital roles in the regulation of drug resistance mechanisms such as redox homeostasis, apoptosis and autophagy. Therefore, the different phenotypes call for different therapeutic approaches. Combined therapies targeting energy metabolism grant new opportunities to overcome the challenges. Nevertheless, new biomarkers emerge to classify the energetic subtypes, thereby the cancer therapy, as our knowledge in coupling energy metabolism with cancer behavior grows.

MiR-489-3p Reduced Pancreatic Cancer Proliferation and Metastasis By Targeting PKM2 and LDHA Involving Glycolysis

Introduction

Malignant proliferation and metastasis are some of the causes of high mortality in pancreatic cancer. MicroRNAs have been a hot spot in cancer research and are involved in tumor formation and metabolic stress responses. However, the biology function and underlying mechanism of miRNA regulating pancreatic cancer progress is remained uncleared.

Methods

RNA-seq analysis the glycolysis associated miRNAs and verified miRNA-489-3p was involving in glycolysis. We used RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) and qRT-PCR to analyze the differential expression of miR-489-3p in pancreatic cancer tissues and adjacent tissues and cell lines. Then the function assay of in vivo and in vitro were used to evaluated the role of miR-489-3p in the proliferation, metastasis and glucose metabolism of pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, dual luciferase reporter and rescue experiments were performed to explore the mechanism underlying in the role of miRNA-489-3p.

Results

We determined that glycolysis associated miRNA miR-489-3p was downregulated in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. The gain and loos of function experiments confirmed that miR-489-3p could inhibit the proliferation, metastasis and glucose metabolism of pancreatic cancer. Further, we found that miR-489-3p could target regulating LDHA and PKM through the luciferase report experiment. Finally, in vivo experiment confirmed that highly expressed miR-489-3p inhibited the growth of pancreatic cancer.

Conclusion

In short, this study identified miR-489-3p as a novel therapy target for pancreatic cancer which was involving in the proliferation, metastasis and glycolysis, but its diagnostic value deserves further study.

MIR210HG regulates glycolysis, cell proliferation, and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells through miR-125b-5p/HK2/PKM2 axis

Pancreatic cancer has the worst prognosis of all common cancers. Pancreatic cancer cells have a metabolic advantage due to their swiftly adaptive responses to hypoxic and low-nutrient medium. This advantage contributes to the aggressivity of pancreatic cancer. In this study, lncRNA MIR210HG was abnormally upregulated within pancreatic cancer. It acted as a key oncogenic regulator of pancreatic cancer aggressiveness and glycolysis. Knockdown of MIR210HG significantly inhibited the aggressive phenotype of pancreatic cancer cells and inhibited the growth of xenograft tumours. More importantly, MIR210HG knockdown inhibited pancreatic cancer cell glycolysis via regulating the glycolysis-related hexokinase 2 (HK2) and Pyruvate kinase muscle isozyme M2 (PKM2) expression. Compared with the MIR210HG knockdown group, miR-125b-5p inhibition promoted the aggressive phenotypes and glycolysis of pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, the effects of MIR210HG knockdown on HK2 and PKM2 expression, pancreatic cancer cell aggressive phenotypes, and glycolysis were significantly reversed by miR-125b-5p inhibition. In tissue samples, MIR210HG expression was negatively correlated with miR-125b-5p levels and positively correlated with HK2 and PKM2 expression. miR-125b-5p expression was negatively correlated with HK2 and PKM2 expression. In conclusion, MIR210HG affected the phenotypes of pancreatic cancer cells, including proliferation, invasion, migration, and glycolysis, via modulating the miR-125b-5p/HK2/PKM2 axis.

A Novel miRNA-mRNA Axis Involves in Regulating Transcriptional Disorders in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Background

Currently, there is still a lack of understanding about the mechanism and therapeutic targets of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD). The potential of miRNA-mRNA networks for the identification of regulatory mechanisms involved in PAAD development remains unexplored.

Methods

We compared differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMIs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in PAAD and normal tissues from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Transcription factors (TFs) were obtained from FunRich. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs and DEMIs were implemented using Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Then, key miRNAs and targeted mRNAs were identified by assessment of their expression and prognosis in UALCAN and Kaplan-Meier plotters. In the last step, the candidate miRNA-mRNA selected was confirmed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Results

We distinguished 62 significant DEMIs, 1314 upregulated DEGs, and 1110 downregulated DEGs. The top 10 TFs were identified. In total, there were 160 hub genes obtained by intersecting the set of 2224 predicted targets with the set of significant DEGs. And we selected 8 key miRNAs. Furthermore, low expression of miR-455-3p in PAAD tissue was closely connected with poor prognosis, and only 5 target mRNAs were predicted to be increased in PAAD tissue with poor prognosis. Therefore, a novel miRNA-hub gene regulatory network in PAAD was constructed. Finally, in vitro experiments indicated that miR-455-3p expression was decreased in PAAD sample. HOXC4, DLG4, DYNLL1 and FBXO45 were validated by qRT-PCR as highly probable targets of miR-455-3p.

Conclusion

A novel miRNA-mRNA axis has been discovered that may be involved in the regulation of transcriptional disorders and affected the survival of PAAD patients, which would provide a novel strategy for the treatment of PAAD.

MiRNAs directly targeting the key intermediates of biological pathways in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic Cancer (PC) is a severe form of malignancy all over the world. Delayed diagnosis and chemoresistance are the major factors contributing to its poor prognosis and high mortality rate. The genetic and epigenetic regulations of biological pathways further complicate the progression and chemotherapy response to this cancer. MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) involvement has been observed in all types of cancers including PC. The understanding and categorization of miRNAs according to their specific targets are very important to develop early diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. The current review, emphasizing recent research findings, has categorized miRNAs that directly target the potential onco-factors that act as central converging signal-nodes in five major cancer-related pathways i.e., MAPK/ERK, JAK/STAT, Wnt/β-catenin, AKT/mTOR, and TGFβ in PC. The therapeutic perspectives of miRNAs in PC have also been discussed. This will help to understand the interplay of various miRNAs within foremost signaling pathways and develop a multifactorial approach to treat difficult-to-treat PC.

Application of Phage-Displayed Peptides in Tumor Imaging Diagnosis and Targeting Therapy

Phage display is an effective and powerful technique that provides a route to discovery unique peptides targeting to tumor cells. Specifically binding peptides are considered as the valuable target directing molecule fragments with potential efficiency to improve the current tumor clinic, and offer new approaches for tumor prevention, diagnosis and treatment. We focus on the recent advances in the isolation of tumor-targeting peptides by biopanning methods, with particular emphasis on molecular imaging, and pharmaceutical targeting therapy.

Circulating exosomal microRNAs as novel potential detection biomarkers in pancreatic cancer

Circulating exosomal microRNAs (ex-miRNAs) are reflective of the characteristics of the tumor and are valuable biomarkers in different types of tumor. In addition, miRNAs serve important roles in tumor progression and metastasis. The present study aimed to investigate the circulating ex-miRNA-21 and miRNA-210 as novel biomarkers for patients with pancreatic cancer (PC). For this purpose, serum ex-miRNAs were extracted from the serum of patients with PC (n=30) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) (n=10) using an RNA isolation kit. For exosome identification in serum, transmission electron micrographs were used to determine crystalline structure, western blotting was used to identify exosomal markers, and NanoSight was used for nanoparticle characterization. The relative expression levels of ex-miRNAs were quantified using quantitative PCR and compared between patients with PC and CP. The expression levels of both ex-miRNA-21 and miRNA-210 were significantly higher in patients with PC compared with patients with CP (both P<0.001). However, no significant difference in the relative serum levels of free miR-21 and miR-210 was observed between the 2 groups of patients (both P>0.05). ex-miRNA-21 and miRNA-210 were associated with tumor stage, as well as other factors. The diagnostic potential of ex-miRNA-21 and miRNA-210 levels was 83 and 85%, respectively. In addition, when ex-miRNA and serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 expression levels were combined, the accuracy increased to 90%. The present study identified that serum ex-miRNAs, miRNA-21 and miRNA-210 may be of value as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the diagnosis and treatment of PC.

Nanomaterials: Applications in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in human sowing to missed early and effective diagnosis. The inability to translate research into clinical trials and to target chemotherapy drugs to tumors is a major obstacle in PC treatment. Compared with traditional cancer detection methods, the method combining existing clinical diagnosis and detection systems with nanoscale components using novel nanomaterials shows higher sensitivity and specificity. Nanomaterials can interact with biological systems to efficiently and accurately detect and monitor biological events during diagnosis and treatment. With the advance of experimental and engineering technology, more nanomaterials will begin the transition to clinical trials for their validation. This paper describes a number of nanomaterials used in the diagnosis and treatment of PC.