Inhibitory Smads suppress pancreatic stellate cell activation through negative feedback in chronic pancreatitis

Activation and Regulation of Pancreatic Stellate Cells in Chronic Pancreatic Fibrosis: A Potential Therapeutic Approach for Chronic Pancreatitis

In the complex progression of fibrosis in chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) emerge as central figures. These cells, initially in a dormant state characterized by the storage of vitamin A lipid droplets within the chronic pancreatitis microenvironment, undergo a profound transformation into an activated state, typified by the secretion of an abundant extracellular matrix, including α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). This review delves into the myriad factors that trigger PSC activation within the context of chronic pancreatitis. These factors encompass alcohol, cigarette smoke, hyperglycemia, mechanical stress, acinar cell injury, and inflammatory cells, with a focus on elucidating their underlying mechanisms. Additionally, we explore the regulatory factors that play significant roles during PSC activation, such as TGF-β, CTGF, IL-10, PDGF, among others. The investigation into these regulatory factors and pathways involved in PSC activation holds promise in identifying potential therapeutic targets for ameliorating fibrosis in chronic pancreatitis. We provide a summary of recent research findings pertaining to the modulation of PSC activation, covering essential genes and innovative regulatory mediators designed to counteract PSC activation. We anticipate that this research will stimulate further insights into PSC activation and the mechanisms of pancreatic fibrosis, ultimately leading to the discovery of groundbreaking therapies targeting cellular and molecular responses within these processes.

Transcriptional regulation of pancreatic stellate cell activation in chronic pancreatitis

Pancreatic fibrosis is an important feature in the occurrence and development of chronic pancreatitis (CP), and activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) play an important role in the progression of pancreatic fibrosis. In recent years, more and more signaling pathways related to pancreatic fibrosis have been found. These signaling pathways regulate the activation of pancreatic stellate cells through transcription factors, thereby affecting pancreatic fibrosis and the progression of CP. This article reviews the progress in the research of the signaling pathways and related transcription factors involved in PSC activation in pancreatic fibrosis, hoping to provide ideas for further understanding the mechanism and therapeutic targets of pancreatic fibrosis in CP.

5-FU-miR-15a Inhibits Activation of Pancreatic Stellate Cells by Reducing YAP1 and BCL-2 Levels In Vitro

Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis, processes heightened by activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). Recent publications have demonstrated that miR-15a, which targets YAP1 and BCL-2, is significantly downregulated in patients with chronic pancreatitis compared to healthy controls. We have utilized a miRNA modification strategy to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of miR-15a by replacing uracil with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). We demonstrated increased levels of YAP1 and BCL-2 (both targets of miR-15a) in pancreatic tissues obtained from Ptf1aCreERTM and Ptf1aCreERTM;LSL-KrasG12D mice after chronic pancreatitis induction as compared to controls. In vitro studies showed that delivery of 5-FU-miR-15a significantly decreased viability, proliferation, and migration of PSCs over six days compared to 5-FU, TGFβ1, control miR, and miR-15a. In addition, treatment of PSCs with 5-FU-miR-15a in the context of TGFβ1 treatment exerted a more substantial effect than TGFβ1 alone or when combined with other miRs. Conditioned medium obtained from PSC cells treated with 5-FU-miR-15a significantly inhibits the invasion of pancreatic cancer cells compared to controls. Importantly, we demonstrated that treatment with 5-FU-miR-15a reduced the levels of YAP1 and BCL-2 observed in PSCs. Our results strongly suggest that ectopic delivery of miR mimetics is a promising therapeutic approach for pancreatic fibrosis and that 5-FU-miR-15a shows specific promise.

The research progress of anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis treatment of chronic pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease of the pancreas, caused by multiple factors and accompanied by irreversible impairment of pancreatic internal and external secretory functions. Pathologically, atrophy of the pancreatic acini, tissue fibrosis or calcification, focal edema, inflammation, and necrosis are observed. Clinical manifestations include recurrent or persistent abdominal pain, diarrhea, emaciation, and diabetes. In addition, CP is prone to develop into pancreatic cancer(PC) due to persistent inflammation and fibrosis. The disease course is prolonged and the clinical prognosis is poor. Currently, clinical treatment of CP is still based on symptomatic treatment and there is a lack of effective etiological treatment. Encouragingly, experiments have shown that a variety of active substances have great potential in the etiological treatment of chronic pancreatitis. In this paper, we will review the pathogenesis of CP, as well as the research progress on anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic therapies, which will provide new ideas for the development of subsequent clinical studies and formulation of effective treatment programs, and help prevent CP from developing into pancreatic cancer and reduce the prevalence of PC as much as possible.

Prognostic biomarkers of pancreatic cancer identified based on a competing endogenous RNA regulatory network

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic cancer is an insidious and heterogeneous malignancy with poor prognosis that is often locally unresectable. Therefore, determining the underlying mechanisms and effective prognostic indicators of pancreatic cancer may help optimize clinical management. This study was conducted to develop a prognostic model for pancreatic cancer based on a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network.

METHODS

We obtained transcriptomic data and corresponding clinicopathological information of pancreatic cancer samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database (training set). Based on the ceRNA interaction network, we screened candidate genes to build prediction models. Univariate Cox regression analysis was performed to screen for genes associated with prognosis, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was conducted to construct a predictive model. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn, and the C-index was calculated to evaluate the accuracy of the prediction model. Furthermore, we downloaded transcriptomic data and related clinical information of pancreatic cancer samples from the Gene Expression Omnibus database (validation set) to evaluate the robustness of our prediction model.

RESULTS

Eight genes (ANLN, FHDC1, LY6D, SMAD6, ACKR4, RAB27B, AUNIP, and GPRIN3) were used to construct the prediction model, which was confirmed as an independent predictor for evaluating the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer through univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. By plotting the decision curve, we found that the risk score model is an independent predictor has the greatest impact on survival compared to pathological stage and targeted molecular therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

An eight-gene prediction model was constructed for effectively and independently predicting the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer. These eight genes identified show potential as diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

Pancreatic stellate cells - rising stars in pancreatic pathologies

Pluripotent pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) receive growing interest in past decades. Two types of PSCs are recognized –vitamin A accumulating quiescent PSCs and activated PSCs- the main producents of extracellular matrix in pancreatic tissue. PSCs plays important role in pathogenesis of pancreatic fibrosis in pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. PSCs are intensively studied as potential therapeutical target because of their important role in developing desmoplastic stroma in pancreatic cancer. There also exists evidence that PSC are involved in other pathologies like type-2 diabetes mellitus. This article brings brief characteristics of PSCs and recent advances in research of these cells.