Naturally occurring compounds as pancreatic cancer therapeutics.

Ines Lohse,Erin Wildermuth,Shaun P Brothers

doi:10.18632/oncotarget.26234

Ines Lohse, Erin Wildermuth + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.26234

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Abstract

Naturally occurring small molecule compounds have long been in the spotlight of pancreatic cancer research as potential therapeutics to prevent cancer progression and sensitize chemoresistant tumors. The hope is that terminal pancreatic cancer patients receiving aggressive chemotherapy can benefit from an increase in treatment efficacy without adding further toxicity by way of utilizing natural compounds. While preclinical studies on a number of natural compounds, such as resveratrol, curcumin, rapalogs and cannabinoids, show promising preclinical results, little has translated into clinical practice, though a number of other compounds hold clinical potential. Nevertheless, recent advances in compound formulation may increase the clinical utility of these compounds.

Highlights

Despite being the 12th most common cause of cancer diagnosis in the United States, pancreatic cancer is the 2nd most common cause of cancer death with a 5-year survival of 8.2% [1]
Preliminary studies have shown IP6 to be effective in decreasing pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and increasing apoptosis in vitro (Figure 1) [16] and described a potential therapeutic synergy between IP6 and catechin, a natural compound found in green tea [74]
The wide variety of mechanisms of action associated with natural compounds is problematic in terms of isolating and confirming specific cellular targets and their impact on tumor cell survival

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Despite being the 12th most common cause of cancer diagnosis in the United States, pancreatic cancer is the 2nd most common cause of cancer death with a 5-year survival of 8.2% [1]. Resveratrol and curcumin are the furthest developed examples of natural compounds for the www.oncotarget.com treatment of pancreatic cancer, but a number of other compounds are currently being evaluated for their therapeutic properties. Preliminary studies have shown IP6 to be effective in decreasing pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and increasing apoptosis in vitro (Figure 1) [16] and described a potential therapeutic synergy between IP6 and catechin, a natural compound found in green tea [74]. Despite promising preclinical results using a number of natural compounds, little has translated into the clinical routine of pancreatic cancer treatment a large number of clinical trials have been performed on various compounds This can be attributed to unspecified mechanisms of action, low bioavailability and difficulty ensuring patients’ compliance with the dosing regimen. With continuous advances in medicinal chemistry and drug formulation, will enable the improvement of natural compound-based anti-cancer drugs and facilitate a transition of these compounds into the clinic

CONCLUSIONS

Findings

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST