Profiling of conditionally reprogrammed cell lines for in vitro chemotherapy response prediction of pancreatic cancer

229 Background: Gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with or without oxaliplatin are used to manage advanced or recurrent pancreatic cancer. Options are limited for patients who do not respond to these agents. This study determined the pattern of response to alternative agents using an in vitro chemotherapy assessment. Methods: From August 2006 to January 2010, 113 tumor specimens from pancreatic cancer patients were tested for response to gemcitabine, 5-FU, oxaliplatin, docetaxel, or irinotecan using an in vitro chemosensitivity assay (ChemoFx, Precision Therapeutics, Inc., Pittsburgh PA). Tumors were classified as sensitive or resistant based on in vitro dose response curves. Results: Thirty-five percent of tumors exhibited in vitro chemosensitivity to irinotecan, 23% to gemcitabine, 19% to 5-FU, 9% to oxaliplatin, and 8% to docetaxel. For tumors resistant to gemcitabine, 23% were sensitive to irinotecan, 6% (4/72) to 5-FU, 3% (2/68) to oxaliplatin, and 2% (1/64) to docetaxel (Table). Of the 68 tumors resistant to both gemcitabine and 5-FU, 11/59 (19%) were sensitive to irinotecan, 2/61 (3%) to oxaliplatin, and 0/57 (0%) to docetaxel. Forty-nine tumors were resistant to all tested agents. Conclusions: ChemoFx analysis of pancreatic cancer patient specimens indicates a high resistance rate to gemcitabine and 5-FU. The sensitivity of 19% of the gemcitabine/5-FU resistant specimens to irinotecan suggests that some patients who do not respond to standard therapy may respond to irinotecan. The potential of ChemoFx to identify the potentially most effective therapy in pancreatic cancer patients will be examined in future studies. [Table: see text] [Table: see text]

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Long noncoding RNA LINC00941 promotes pancreatic cancer progression by competitively binding miR-335-5p to regulate ROCK1-mediated LIMK1/Cofilin-1 signaling

Cell Death and Disease ◽

10.1038/s41419-020-03316-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jie Wang ◽

Zhiwei He ◽

Jian Xu ◽

Peng Chen ◽

Jianxin Jiang

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cell Growth ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cancer Progression ◽

Noncoding Rna ◽

Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

Mesenchymal Transition

AbstractAn accumulation of evidence indicates that long noncoding RNAs are involved in the tumorigenesis and progression of pancreatic cancer (PC). In this study, we investigated the functions and molecular mechanism of action of LINC00941 in PC. Quantitative PCR was used to examine the expression of LINC00941 and miR-335-5p in PC tissues and cell lines, and to investigate the correlation between LINC00941 expression and clinicopathological features. Plasmid vectors or lentiviruses were used to manipulate the expression of LINC00941, miR-335-5p, and ROCK1 in PC cell lines. Gain or loss-of-function assays and mechanistic assays were employed to verify the roles of LINC00941, miR-335-5p, and ROCK1 in PC cell growth and metastasis, both in vivo and in vitro. LINC00941 and ROCK1 were found to be highly expressed in PC, while miR-335-5p exhibited low expression. High LINC00941 expression was strongly associated with larger tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis. Functional experiments revealed that LINC00941 silencing significantly suppressed PC cell growth, metastasis and epithelial–mesenchymal transition. LINC00941 functioned as a molecular sponge for miR-335-5p, and a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for ROCK1, promoting ROCK1 upregulation, and LIMK1/Cofilin-1 pathway activation. Our observations lead us to conclude that LINC00941 functions as an oncogene in PC progression, behaving as a ceRNA for miR-335-5p binding. LINC00941 may therefore have potential utility as a diagnostic and treatment target in this disease.

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Biologically optimized schedule of gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel regimen in metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.tps4168 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. TPS4168-TPS4168

Author(s):

Laith I. Abushahin ◽

Anne M. Noonan ◽

John L. Hays ◽

Pannaga G. Malalur ◽

Ashish Manne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Tumor Cells ◽

Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Dose Intensity ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Significance Level ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽

Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

TPS4168 Background: Metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma has a poor prognosis, and improvements in therapy have been challenging. Alongside efforts in developing novel agents, there is a need to optimize and maximize the benefit of currently approved drugs. Gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel is a frequently used regimen for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Nab-paclitaxel is albumin–bound chemotherapy; hence the role of albumin uptake is critical for its effect. Caveolae are small membrane invaginations essential for transendothelial albumin uptake. Cav-1 is the principal structural component of caveolae. Williams and colleagues have published a series of preclinical studies demonstrating that tumor cell-specific Cav-1 expression directly correlates with albumin and albumin-bound chemotherapy uptake and subsequent apoptotic response in tumor cells. In vitro studies showed that exposure of pancreatic cancer cells to Gemcitabine resulted in up-regulation of Cav-1 peaking 48 hours after gemcitabine exposure. This Cav-1 up-regulation correlated with increased temporal albumin cellular uptake. In addition, Williams and colleagues noted that exposure of pancreatic cancer cell lines to Gemcitabine resulted in a time–specific re-entry of cells into the G2/M phase (nab-paclitaxel cytotoxicity phase) between 48-60 hours after gemcitabine treatment. Collectively this data suggest that infusing nab-paclitaxel after 48 hours of gemcitabine infusion would be optimal for both increased uptake as well as increased susceptible tumor cells. We had previously shown this effect on multiple cell lines as well as mouse models. Methods: This is a phase II trial; patients will receive a standard of care chemotherapy regimen consisting of FDA-approved Gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel with modification of the schedule to deliver nab-paclitaxel 48 hours (2 days) after gemcitabine infusions. The primary endpoint is ORR, with a null hypothesis of 20% vs. a target of 35%. Employing a 2-stage design (minimax) and assuming 80% power and a 0.05 significance level, a total of 53 patients will be required. In the first stage, if at least 7/31 patients respond to therapy, an additional 22 patients will be added for a total of 53 patients. The study will be terminated early if ≤ six patients respond in the first stage. Observation of response in at least 16/53 patients would be required to warrant further investigation of this infusion schedule of combination therapy. The secondary endpoints include the safety of the regimen schedule, Relative dose intensity, disease control rate, PFS, and OS. The trial opened to enrollment in June 2020 and is accepting patients. Clinical trial information: NCT04115163.

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Selenium Induces Pancreatic Cancer Cell Death Alone and in Combination with Gemcitabine

Biomedicines ◽

10.3390/biomedicines10010149 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 149

Author(s):

David J. Wooten ◽

Indu Sinha ◽

Raghu Sinha

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cell ◽

Single Agent ◽

Cancer Cell Lines ◽

Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽

Cancer Cell Death ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Survival rate for pancreatic cancer remains poor and newer treatments are urgently required. Selenium, an essential trace element, offers protection against several cancer types and has not been explored much against pancreatic cancer specifically in combination with known chemotherapeutic agents. The present study was designed to investigate selenium and Gemcitabine at varying doses alone and in combination in established pancreatic cancer cell lines growing in 2D as well as 3D platforms. Comparison of multi-dimensional synergy of combinations’ (MuSyc) model and highest single agent (HSA) model provided quantitative insights into how much better the combination performed than either compound tested alone in a 2D versus 3D growth of pancreatic cancer cell lines. The outcomes of the study further showed promise in combining selenium and Gemcitabine when evaluated for apoptosis, proliferation, and ENT1 protein expression, specifically in BxPC-3 pancreatic cancer cells in vitro.

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Identification and characterization of CCK-B/gastrin receptors in human pancreatic cancer cell lines

AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpregu.1994.266.1.r277 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 266 (1) ◽

pp. R277-R283 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

J. P. Smith ◽

G. Liu ◽

V. Soundararajan ◽

P. J. McLaughlin ◽

I. S. Zagon

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cell ◽

Cancer Cell Lines ◽

Human Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cells

The gastrointestinal peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) is known to stimulate growth of human pancreatic cancer in a receptor-mediated fashion. The purpose of this study was to characterize the receptor responsible for the trophic effects of CCK in cancer cells. With the use of homogenates of PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells grown in vitro, the binding characteristics and optimal conditions of radiolabeled selective CCK-receptor antagonists ([3H]L-365,260 and [3H]L-364,718) were examined. Specific and saturable binding was detected with [3H]L-365,260, and Scatchard analysis revealed that the data were consistent for a single site of binding with a binding affinity of 4.3 +/- 0.6 nM and a binding capacity (Bmax) of 283 +/- 68 fmol/mg protein in log phase cells. Binding was dependent on protein concentration, time, temperature, and pH and was sensitive to Na+, K+, Mg2+, and ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid. In contrast to log phase cells, Bmax decreased by 80 and 92% in confluent and postconfluent cultures, respectively. Subcellular fractionation studies revealed that binding was in the membrane fraction. Competition experiments indicated that L-365,260 and gastrin were more effective at displacing the radiolabeled L-365,260 than CCK. No binding was detected with the CCK-A antagonist [3H]L-364,718. Assays performed with [3H]L-365,260 on five additional human pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro and tumor tissue from xenografts in nude mice also revealed specific and saturable binding. These results provide the first identification of a CCK-B/gastrin receptor in human pancreatic cancer cells and tumors and explain the effects of CCK on the growth of this malignancy.

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Proteomic Analysis of Cell Lines and Primary Tumors in Pancreatic Cancer Identifies Proteins Expressed Only In Vitro and Only In Vivo

Pancreas ◽

10.1097/mpa.0000000000001633 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 49 (8) ◽

pp. 1109-1116

Author(s):

Orla Coleman ◽

Michael Henry ◽

Fiona O'Neill ◽

Sandra Roche ◽

Niall Swan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Proteomic Analysis ◽

Primary Tumors

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A quinolinone derivative, vesnarinone (OPC-8212), significantly inhibits the in vitro and in vivo growth of human pancreatic cancer cell lines

Anti-Cancer Drugs ◽

10.1097/00001813-199708000-00007 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 686-695 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Yoshinori Nio ◽

Hiroshi Ohmori ◽

Yoshimitsu Minari ◽

Noriyuki Hirahara ◽

Susumu Sasaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cell ◽

Cancer Cell Lines ◽

Human Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell ◽

In Vivo Growth

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Evaluation of the In Vitro Cytotoxic Activity of Caffeic Acid Derivatives and Liposomal Formulation against Pancreatic Cancer Cell Lines

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13245813 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (24) ◽

pp. 5813

Author(s):

Magdalena Zaremba-Czogalla ◽

Anna Jaromin ◽

Katarzyna Sidoryk ◽

Agnieszka Zagórska ◽

Marcin Cybulski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Cytotoxic Activity ◽

Caffeic Acid ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cell ◽

Cancer Cell Lines ◽

Liposomal Formulation ◽

Caffeic Acid Derivatives

Pancreatic cancer belongs to the most aggressive group of cancers, with very poor prognosis. Therefore, there is an important need to find more potent drugs that could deliver an improved therapeutic approach. In the current study we searched for selective and effective caffeic acid derivatives. For this purpose, we analyzed twelve compounds and evaluated their in vitro cytotoxic activity against two human pancreatic cancer cell lines, along with a control, normal fibroblast cell line, by the classic MTT assay. Six out of twelve tested caffeic acid derivatives showed a desirable effect. To improve the therapeutic efficacy of such active compounds, we developed a formulation where caffeic acid derivative (7) was encapsulated into liposomes composed of soybean phosphatidylcholine and DSPE-PEG2000. Subsequently, we analyzed the properties of this formulation in terms of basic physical parameters (such as size, zeta potential, stability at 4 °C and morphology), hemolytic and cytotoxic activity and cellular uptake. Overall, the liposomal formulation was found to be stable, non-hemolytic and had activity against pancreatic cancer cells (IC50 19.44 µM and 24.3 µM, towards AsPC1 and BxPC3 cells, respectively) with less toxicity against normal fibroblasts. This could represent a promising alternative to currently available treatment options.

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Evaluation of a nonbiologic nanoparticle form of paclitaxel in metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2013.31.15_suppl.e15076 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e15076-e15076 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kouros Motamed ◽

Larn Hwang ◽

Chao Hsiao ◽

Vuong N. Trieu

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Phase I ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Advanced Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer ◽

In Vitro Toxicity ◽

Pancreatic Cell ◽

Anti Tumor Activity

e15076 Background: The (nab-Pac)/Gemcitabine (Gem) combination has recently been shown to impart a significant survival advantage over Gem alone in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer. The goal of this study was to define a non-biologic, nanoparticle paclitaxel (NBN-Pac) which has a similar toxicity profile and utilizes the same albumin-mediated transport mechanism. Herein, we report in vitro, preclinical and phase I clinical results for this NBN-Pac in metastatic pancreatic cancer. Methods: In vitro drug cytotoxicity was measured as mean IC50 values following a 72-h exposure in four pancreatic cell lines (MIA Paca-2 and Capan-1 and multi-drug resistant cell lines PANC-1 and ASPC-1). In vivo anti-tumor activities were assessed in xenografted MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 models in nude mice treated with three i.v. doses of NBN-Pac (20, 50 mg/kg) and Taxol (20 mg/kg) on days 0, 3, and 6 (q3dx3), and twelve i.v. doses of Gem (140 mg/kg) on every 3 days (q3dx12). A phase I clinical trial (N=18) was conducted to determine the MTD and the recommended phase II dose of the combination therapy with NBN-Pac (220-300 mg/m2, q3w) and Gem (1250 mg/m2) as primary endpoints in first line treatment of subjects with advanced pancreatic cancer. Reduction in the plasma levels of CA19-9 was measured as a PD biomarker. Results: The mean IC50 value of NBN-Pac in four pancreatic cell lines was approximately 30-fold lower than that of Gem. NBN-Pac formulation (50 mg/kg) produced superior anti-tumor activity in the two xenograft models tested over Taxol and Gem at clinically equivalent doses. Our phase I trial established the MTD of this NBN-Pac formulation as 300mg/m2. Moreover, 5 out of 16 subjects (31.3%) were CR or PR with 95% exact confidence interval of (11.0%, 58.7%). The median PFS time was 5.6 month (95% C.I = 2.9). The median OS time could not be estimated as the survival rate did not fall below 50%. Other safety variables revealed no significant abnormality that may have affected the result of the study. Conclusions: NBN-Paclitaxel formulation has superior anti-tumor activity vs. Taxol and Gem in in vitro toxicity assays, preclinical models of pancreatic cancer, as well in a phase I clinical study in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

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Inhibition of cMET in an experimental model of pancreatic cancer.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2013.31.4_suppl.185 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (4_suppl) ◽

pp. 185-185

Author(s):

Sven A. Lang ◽

Franziska Brandes ◽

Edward K. Geissler

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Tumor Growth ◽

Cancer Cells ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Cancer Cell ◽

Pancreatic Cancer Cell ◽

Cancer Cell Lines ◽

Human Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Oncogenic Signaling

185 Background: In human pancreatic cancer, expression of cMET is associated with poor survival. So far, activation/expression of cMET by hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to induce proliferation and motility in cancer cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that inhibition of cMET in human pancreatic cancer cell lines impairs oncogenic signaling and tumor growth. Methods: Pancreatic cancer cell lines (HPAF-II, MiaPaCa2, L3.6pl, BxPC3, Panc02) and the cMET inhibitor INC280 (Novartis Oncology, Basel) were used. MiaPaCa2 and L3.6pl pancreatic cancer cells were grown with gemcitabine up to 500 and 250 nM, respectively (then called MiaPaCa2(G500) and L3.6pl(G250)). MTT and Boyden Chamber assays were used to determine effects of INC280 on growth and motility of cells in vitro. Expression of growth factor receptors, activation of signaling intermediates and expression of transcription factors were assessed by Western blotting. Finally, in vitro results were validated in an orthotopic tumor model using L3.6pl pancreatic cancer cell line. Results: All pancreatic cancer cell lines showed expression of cMET. In vitro treatment of cancer cells with INC280 led to a minor, dose-dependent inhibition of growth even when cells were supplemented with HGF. In contrast, migration assays showed a significant reduction of cancer cell motility upon INC280 when cells were stimulated with HGF (P<0.05). Regarding oncogenic signaling, INC280 led to inhibition of HGF-induced phosphorylation of AKT, ERK and FAK. In addition, c-Myc expression was diminished in cancer cells. Interestingly, gemcitabine resistant cell line MiaPaCa2(G500) showed higher cMET expression levels compared to the normal MiaPaCa2. Stimulation of MiaPaCa2(G500) with HGF led to strong induction of oncogenic signaling and tumor cell motility, an effect that was significantly diminished by INC280. Moreover, results from in vivo experiments show that therapy with INC280 (10 mg/kg/d) significantly reduces tumor growth as determined by final tumor weight (P<0.05). Conclusions: In pancreatic cancer cell lines, targeting cMET with INC280 abrogates oncogenic signaling in vitro and impairs tumor growth in vivo. Therefore, the concept of cMET inhibition warrants further preclinical evaluation.

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