PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - CHUNG, KWANG HYUN
AU  - CHO, IN RAE
AU  - PAIK, WOO HYUN
AU  - KIM, YONG-TAE
AU  - LEE, SANG HYUB
AU  - RYU, JI KON
TI  - Enhanced Anti-tumor Effect of Flavopiridol in Combination With Gemcitabine in Pancreatic Cancer
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.16905
DP  - 2024 Mar 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 1097--1108
VI  - 44
IP  - 3
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/44/3/1097.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/44/3/1097.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2024 Mar 01; 44
AB  - Background/Aim: The efficacy of current chemotherapies for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is still unsatisfactory. Flavopiridol inhibits multiple cyclin-dependent kinases, causing cell cycle arrest and inducing cancer cell apoptosis. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-tumor effect of flavopiridol and gemcitabine in PDAC in vitro and in vivo. Materials and Methods: PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cell lines were treated with gemcitabine and flavopiridol alone, in combination, and sequentially, and cell proliferation, apoptosis, and the cell cycle were evaluated. Proteins related to cell cycle progression (cyclin A, CDK2, E2F-1, and p53) were quantified using western blotting. A xenograft mouse model was generated, and the effects of gemcitabine and flavopiridol, administered alone or in combination, were evaluated by measuring tumor volume and apoptosis degree using the TUNEL assay. Results: Sequential administration of gemcitabine and flavopiridol suppressed PDAC cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. Flavopiridol treatment led to an increase in the number of cells in the S and a decrease in those in the G0/G1 phases. Gemcitabine increased and decreased the number of S- and G2/M-phase cells, respectively. Furthermore, flavopiridol treatment decreased cyclin A and CDK2 expression and increased E2F-1 expression. In a xenograft mouse model, the combined administration of gemcitabine and flavopiridol demonstrated the most significant reduction in tumor volume and induction of apoptosis. Conclusion: Flavopiridol potentiates the anti-tumor activity of gemcitabine by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Its synergistic inhibition of PDAC cell proliferation, when combined with gemcitabine, positions flavopiridol as a promising candidate for cancer treatment.