Pancreatic Cancer Cells In Culture Research Articles

Targeted tumor therapy with the TGF-beta2 antisense compound AP 12009 for the treatment of advanced solid tumors

14012 Background: TGF-β overexpression in advanced tumors is correlated with tumor-induced immunosuppression, proliferation and angiogenesis. Furthermore, it is a key factor for induction of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), thus promoting invasion and metastasis. Targeted tumor therapy by an antisense oligonucleotide has already been proven to be successful in tumor therapy: AP 12009, a TGF-β2-mRNA-specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotide, has shown strong clinical indication of efficacy including complete and lasting remissions in malignant glioma. Methods: Spurred by the highly encouraging clinical data in malignant glioma and strong anti-tumor activity in a wide variety of preclinical assays, clinical studies in further indications were initiated. A multi-center dose-escalation phase I/II trial with AP 12009 in patients suffering from advanced solid tumors was started in 2005. Primary endpoint is to assess the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) as well as the dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). AP 12009 is administered i.v. in 14-day cycles. Results: Preclinically, in human pancreatic cancer and melanoma cell cultures AP 12009 significantly reduced the TGF-β2 secretion of cancer cells, inhibited tumor cell proliferation, and blocked migration of cancer cells. Additionally, AP 12009 reversed TGF-β2 mediated immunosuppression induced by pancreatic carcinoma cells. In the ongoing clinical phase I/II dose-escalation study, two cohorts of tumor patients have already been treated intravenously with AP 12009 as of Dec 2005. Further dose escalations are ongoing. So far, no DLT, no possibly related SAEs and only seven possibly related AEs were observed. MTD is not yet reached. The majority of patients received more than the minimum number of two cycles, one of them received ten full cycles. First signs of efficacy could also be observed. Conclusions: In conclusion, the preclinical results with pancreatic cancer and malignant melanoma cell cultures as well as the successful clinical application of AP 12009 in the lead indication malignant glioma form a rational basis for the use of the antisense compound AP 12009 as targeted therapy of advanced, TGF-β2 overexpressing tumors. [Table: see text]

Specific immune recognition of pancreatic carcinoma by patient-derived CD4 and CD8 T cells and its improvement by interferon-γ

Pancreatic carcinoma is a very aggressive disease and little is known about its immunobiology. We here describe the presence in pancreatic cancer patients of spontaneously induced functional CD4 and CD8 memory/effector T cells reactive to autologous tumor cells or to the pancreatic cancer associated antigen, MUC-1. Such specific cells were present in the bone marrow or peripheral blood of most of the 23 tested patients. Low dose stimulation of primary cultures of pancreatic cancer cells with 500 IU/ml IFN-gamma for 72 h enhanced HLA-I expression and induced the de novo expression of HLA-II molecules. This led to a much better immune recognition by autologous HLA-I restricted and purified CD8 T cells and allowed tumor cell recognition by HLA-II restricted purified CD4 T-helper cells. Thus, interferon-gamma appears to be a useful adjuvant cytokine to enhance the immunogenicity of a patients' tumor cells and their recognition by tumor reactive immune cells.

Overexpressed decorin in pancreatic cancer: potential tumor growth inhibition and attenuation of chemotherapeutic action.

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and significance of decorin in pancreatic cancer. Decorin expression in normal pancreas and excised tumors was examined by real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry. Reverse transcription-PCR was used to analyze cultures of pancreatic cancer and stellate cells. Growth-inhibitory effects of decorin in vitro were assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide test, Western blot, and fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis. Pancreatic cancer was characterized by striking overexpression of decorin mRNA in tumor tissues (9-fold by real-time quantitative PCR; 44 patients versus 18 healthy donors; P < 0.01). Strong decorin immunostaining was observed in the extracellular matrix of pancreatic cancer tissue, whereas tumor cells were devoid of decorin. Double staining for anti-smooth muscle actin and decorin and reverse transcription-PCR analysis of primary cultures revealed pancreatic stellate cells as the putative source of decorin. Human recombinant decorin was able to suppress growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro through p21 mediated G(1)-S block of the cell cycle. However, in contrast to the previously described chemotherapy-potentiating capacity of decorin, this proteoglycan attenuated the cytostatic action of carboplatin and gemcitabine toward pancreatic cancer cells. Decorin might exert an antiproliferative effect toward pancreatic cancer cells, thus playing a role in a host stromal reaction aimed at sequestering and inhibiting growing malignant cells. However, in clinical settings, the importance of collagen-associated decorin as a moderate antitumor modality would be undermined by its ability to attenuate the efficiency of chemotherapeutics. Considering the general failure of adjuvant therapies in pancreatic cancer, the role of decorin in this process warrants further investigation.

Determination of 5-fluorouracil and 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine-5′-monophosphate in pancreatic cancer cell line and other biological materials using capillary electrophoresis

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was used for the rapid determination of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine-5′-monophosphate (FdUMP) in pancreatic cancer cell line (PANC-1), culture medium, plasma and pancreatic tissue. The assay is based upon protein precipitation with acetonitrile followed by a 9-min CZE analysis of the supernatant in an uncoated fused-silica capillary employing a borate buffer and on-column absorbance detection at 265 nm. Using 50 μl of sample, 5-FU levels between 4.12 and 132 μg/ml (31.7–1000 μ M) were found to provide linear calibration graphs. Intra-day and inter-day RSD values evaluated from peak height ratios ( n=5) were <7.6 and <8.8%, respectively. Corresponding RSD values of detection times ( n=7) were <1 and <1.5%, respectively. The limits of detection for 5-FU and FdUMP were 1.72 and 5.29 μg/ml, respectively. As application, the accumulation of 5-FU by PANC-1 cells over a 4-h time period was investigated. Having a culture medium concentration of 100 μg/ml, the 5-FU cell content was estimated to become equal to that of the surrounding medium (i.e., 100 μg/ml or 3.61 fmol per cell with a volume of 4.7 pl) within that time period. The sensitivity of the assay was sufficient for the determination of 5-FU in all cell samples. FdUMP, however, could not be detected in these samples. Furthermore, the data obtained in uncoated capillaries are compared to those measured in a fused-silica capillary whose inner surface was coated with linear polyacrylamide (about 10-fold reduction of electroosmosis). The latter capillary format was found to be useless for simultaneous analysis of 5-FU and FdUMP in pancreatic cells but could be potentially useful for analysis of these compounds in plasma.

Treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer patients with opioid growth factor

Previous studies have shown that an endogenous pentapeptide. (Met5)-enkephalin (Opioid Growth Factor) inhibits growth of human pancreatic cancer cells in culture and when grown as xenografts to nude mice. Results from phase 1 of our study found that OGF may be safely administered to human subjects with pancreatic cancer up to doses of 250 mcg|[sol]|kg.

Treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer with opioid growth factor: Phase I

Opioid growth factor (OGF) is an endogenous pentapeptide that inhibits growth of human pancreatic cancer cells in culture, as well as xenografts in nude mice. To establish the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and determine safety and toxicity of OGF, a phase I trial was performed in patients with advanced unresectable pancreatic cancer. Patients with unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma were treated with escalating doses of OGF for 30min i.v. to determine the MTD. The s.c. route of administration also was evaluated. Once the MTD was established, a group of patients was treated chronically, and monitored for safety and toxicity. Hypotension was the dose-limiting toxicity, resulting in a MTD of 250 lg/kg i.v. Due to limited solubility of OGF in small volumes, a maximum dose of 50 lg/kg twice daily was determined by the s.c. route of administration. No adverse events were reported for oxygen saturation, cardiac rhythm, laboratory values or neurological status in either the acute or chronic parts of the study with the i.v. or s.c. routes. During the chronic i.v. phase, two subjects had resolution of liver metastases and one showed regression of the pancreatic tumor. Mean survival from the time of diagnosis was 8.7 months (range 2–23 months) in the i.v. group and 9.5 months (range 1–18 months) in the s.c. group. We conclude that OGF can be safely administered to patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Further studies are needed to determine the efficacy of OGF alone or in combination with present modes of therapy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Anti-Cancer Drugs 15:203–209 c 2004 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Antisense oligonucleotides to gastrin inhibit growth of human pancreatic cancer

Human pancreatic cancer is stimulated by the autocrine production of gastrin. In this study, the effects of administration of antisense oligonucleotides to gastrin on growth of pancreatic cancer were evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Log phase BxPC-3 human pancreatic cancer cells in culture were exposed to increasing concentrations (0.5–10 μM) of a synthetic 20-mer antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotide to gastrin for 48 h and growth was assessed by the cellular proliferation assay. Growth was inhibited up to 88% by anti-gastrin oligonucleotides in a dose-related fashion compared to cells treated with diluent or a randomized sequence with the same composition as the anti-gastrin oligonucleotide. In vivo nude mice bearing BxPC-3 xenografts were treated daily for 14 days with a 0.1-ml intratumoral injection of either anti-gastrin (5 μM), the scrambled sequence control phosphorothioate oligonucleotide (5 μM), or buffer. Tumors from the anti-gastrin-treated mice were significantly smaller in volume and weight and had less gastrin detected by radioimmunoassay than either controls. These results support the role of gastrin as a stimulatory peptide for growth of human pancreatic cancer. Antisense oligonucleotide to gastrin may have a role in the future treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate inhibits pancreatic carcinoma cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo

Background . Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) is a potent inhibitor of glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase, the rate limiting enzyme of the hexose monophosphate shunt, a biochemical pathway that provides substrate for DNA synthesis in neoplastic tissue. DHEA-S has been shown to inhibit the growth of neoplasms arriving from human skin, lung, colon, and mammary tissue. This study evaluates the effect of DHEA-S on human pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Methods . In vitro, the human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines MiaPaCa-2, Capan-1, Capan-2, CAV and Panc-1 were treated with concentrations of 1.9 μmol/L to 1000 μmol/L DHEA-S in 1% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) for 5 consecutive days. Cell proliferation was determined by a nonradioactive cell proliferation assay and compared with DMSO treated controls. In vivo testing was performed by inoculating two cell lines, MiaPaCa-2 and Panc-1, into the flank of 40 male nude athymic mice in four study groups. After 1 week of growth, 667 mg/kg DHEA-S in 1% DMSO or 0.2 ml 1% DMSO alone in the control group was administered by daily intraperitoneal injection. Body weight and tumor size was recorded weekly, and tumor weight was measured after 3 weeks of treatment. Results . In vitro cell proliferation was decreased in the five cell lines by 36% to 62% of controls (p < 0.001) at 500 μmol/L DHEA-S. In vivo, after 2 weeks, tumor size was only 76% (p < 0.008) and 67% (p < 0.005) of the controls. After 3 weeks of treatment, tumor size was 73% (p < 0.001) and 53% (p < 0.001) of controls, and tumor weight was decreased by 73% in MiaPaCa-2 (p < 0.001) and 66% in Panc-1 (p < 0.001). Radioimmunoassay measurements of DHEA-S and testosterone from DHEA-S treated mouse plasma showed a significant increase in circulating levels of these hormones. Conclusions . DHEA-S achieves high serum levels after intraperitoneal injection without elevation of serum testosterone levels and produces no significant toxicity. Treatment with DHEA-S results in a significant reduction of proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cells in culture and when grown as subcutaneous tumors in athymic nude mice.

Cell cycle arrest and induction of apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells exposed to eicosapentaenoic acid in vitro.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on the growth of several pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro. This study investigates the mechanism of growth inhibition and cytotoxicity of EPA on the pancreatic cancer cell line MIA PaCa-2. Cells were analysed for cell count, viability, cell cycle distribution and ultrastructural changes. There was a time- and dose-dependent decrease in cell count and viability in cultures of pancreatic cancer cells supplemented with EPA. Flow cytometric DNA analysis of MIA PaCa-2 cells incubated with EPA demonstrated the presence of sub G1 populations corresponding to the presence of apoptotic cells and the blockade of cell cycle progression in S-phase and G2/M-phase. The presence of apoptosis in EPA-supplemented cultures was further confirmed by DNA fragmentation and ultrastructural changes associated with apoptosis. Therefore, we conclude that EPA mediates its effect on the pancreatic cancer cell line MIA PaCa-2, at least in part, via cell cycle arrest and the induction of apoptosis.

Advanced Glycation Endproducts–Receptor Interactions Stimulate the Growth of Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells through the Induction of Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-B

The molecular basis for the clinical association betweendiabetes mellitusand pancreatic cancer was investigated, using Mia PaCa-2 human pancreatic cancer cells in culture. Advanced glycation endproducts (AGE) prepared with bovine serum albumin and glucose were found to stimulate Mia PaCa-2 cell synthesis of DNA in a dose-dependent manner and also to significantly increase the number of viable cells. Evidence that platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGF-B) mediates this growth promotion was obtained; AGE upregulated the level of PDGF-B mRNA, and antibodies against PDGF-BB completely neutralized the AGE-induced DNA synthesis. Antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotides complementary to mRNA encoding a receptor for AGE were found to reverse both the PDGF-B upregulation and the AGE-induced DNA synthesis. These results thus indicate that AGE ligand–receptor interactions could play an active part in the progression of pancreatic cancer through the induction of autocrine PDGF-B.

Identification of gastrin as a growth peptide in human pancreatic cancer.

The present study reports the first evidence that the gastrointestinal peptide gastrin stimulates the growth of several human pancreatic cancer cells in culture and in tumors transplanted to nude mice. Gastrin promoted growth of all cell lines tested at a dose comparable to the binding affinity, providing evidence for a physiologically relevant receptor. The stimulatory effects of gastrin were blocked by the CCK-B/gastrin receptor antagonist L-365,260 and not by the CCK-A receptor antagonist L-364,718. Growth of PANC-1 cells in culture were inhibited by L-365,260, suggesting that gastrin is tonically produced by PANC-1 cells for regulation of growth. Athymic nude mice bearing PANC-1 xenografts were treated for 24 days subcutaneously with either 1% bovine serum albumin (diluent), pentagastrin (1 mg/kg), or L-365,260 (1 mg/kg) twice daily. Tumors from the pentagastrin-treated mice were found to weigh more and have greater protein and DNA content than controls, whereas these values were all decreased in tumors of L-365,260-treated mice. Receptor binding capacity changed in tumors of animals treated with the peptide or antagonist, suggesting a regulatory process. Gastrin immunoreactivity was detected in a transplanted PANC-1 human tumor. These results identify gastrin as a potent trophic peptide that actively stimulates growth of human pancreatic cancer and does so through a CCK-B/gastrin-like receptor.

Two subclasses of EGF receptors in the human pancreatic cancer cell lines CAPAN-1 and MIA PaCa-2

The existence of different classes of EGF receptors in human pancreatic cancer cells has yet not been determined. EGF binding to two cancer cell lines (CAPAN-1 and MIA PaCa-2) was studied. Two classes of EGF binding sites were characterized. The first class of EGF binding sites demonstrated a high affinity and low capacity for EGF, with a Kd of 0.25 +/- 0.11 nM, close to the concentration of EGF suggested to be present in human pancreatic juice. The second class of EGF binding sites had a lower affinity and a higher capacity for EGF, with Kd of 1.78 +/- 0.61 nM. The total number of EGF binding sites was about 40,000/cell. Treatment of the cells with a phorbol ester, TPA, caused a complete loss of the high affinity binding sites and also caused a decrease in the concentration of the lower affinity binding sites present on the cells. Interestingly, with the increasing age of the cells, the concentration of both the high and low affinity EGF binding sites was significantly decreased. In the presence or absence of fetal calf serum, EGF, at concentrations higher than 1.10(-10)M, exerted a dose-dependent mitogenic effect on the growth of the pancreatic cancer cells in culture. These data demonstrate the existence of two classes of binding sites for EGF on some human pancreatic cancer cells and a possible role of EGF in the growth of pancreatic tumors.