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Pancreatic cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with only 12% of patients surviving for five years after diagnosis. Individuals generally experience few symptoms of the disease in the early stages and are often diagnosed once the cancer has already spread to other parts of the body. By this point, options for treatment are limited.
A molecule known as triptolide has been shown to kill breast, lung, pancreatic and other types of cancer cells. However, triptolide is toxic to humans and other animals, making it unsuitable for use in patients. One way to make drugs safer without compromising their beneficial effects is to modify their molecular structure. By formulating triptolide into an emulsion – a mixture of liquids allowing it to dissolve – Tian, Zhang et al. synthesized a new analogue called CK21.
Experiments showed that CK21 inhibited the growth of human pancreatic cancer cells grown in a laboratory including cells grown in artificial organs similar to the pancreas, known as pancreatic tumor organoids. Furthermore, CK21 killed large tumors in mice pancreases with very few side effects, suggesting the structural modification of triptolide increased safety of the drug.
To better understand how CK21 works, Tian, Zhang et al. examined the genes that were induced in the pancreatic tumor organoids at various time points after treatment with the drug. This revealed that CK21 switched off genes involved in the NF-κB cell signaling pathway, which regulates how cells grow and respond to stress. In turn, it triggered programmed cell death, killing the tumor cells in a controlled manner.
The findings suggest that CK21 could be a promising candidate for treating pancreatic cancer. In the future, clinical trials will be required to establish whether CK21 is a safe and effective therapy for humans.
