Matairesinol Induces Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Exerts Synergistic Anticancer Effects with 5-Fluorouracil in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Woonghee Lee, Gwonhwa Song, Hyocheol Bae

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    20 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive types of cancer and exhibits a devastating 5-year survival rate. The most recent procedure for the treatment of PDAC is a combination of several conventional chemotherapeutic agents, termed FOLFIRINOX, that includes irinotecan, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). However, ongoing treatment using these agents is challenging due to their severe side effects and limitations on the range of patients available for PDAC. Therefore, safer and more innovative anticancer agents must be developed. The anticarcinoma activity of matairesinol that can be extracted from seagrass has been reported in various types of cancer, including prostate, breast, cervical, and pancreatic cancer. However, the molecular mechanism of effective anticancer activity of matairesinol against pancreatic cancer remains unclear. In the present study, we confirmed the inhibition of cell proliferation and progression induced by matairesinol in representative human pancreatic cancer cell lines (MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1). Additionally, matairesinol triggers apoptosis and causes mitochondrial impairment as evidenced by the depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane, disruption of calcium, and suppression of cell migration and related intracellular signaling pathways. Finally, matairesinol exerts a synergistic effect with 5-FU, a standard anticancer agent for PDAC. These results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of matairesinol in the treatment of PDAC.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number473
    JournalMarine drugs
    Volume20
    Issue number8
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2022 Aug

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2022 by the authors.

    Keywords

    • 5-fluorouracil
    • anticancer drugs
    • matairesinol
    • mitochondria dysfunction
    • pancreatic cancer

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pharmaceutical Science
    • Drug Discovery
    • Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (miscellaneous)

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