Combination of salinomycin and gemcitabine eliminates pancreatic cancer cells

• Published in: Cancer letters Vol. 313; no. 2; pp. 137 - 144
• Main Authors: Zhang, Guan-Nan, Liang, Yi, Zhou, Ling-Jun, Chen, Shu-Peng, Chen, Ge, Zhang, Tai-Ping, Kang, Tiebang, Zhao, Yu-Pei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 27.12.2011; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: AC133 Antigen; Animals; Antigens, CD - metabolism; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic - administration & dosage; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic - pharmacology; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - pharmacology; Cancer therapies; Cell culture; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Combination treatment; Deoxycytidine - administration & dosage; Deoxycytidine - analogs & derivatives; Deoxycytidine - pharmacology; Flow Cytometry; Gemcitabine; Glycoproteins - metabolism; growth retardation; Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine; Humans; in vivo studies; Male; Mice; Mice, Nude; Mortality; Neoplastic Stem Cells - drug effects; Pancreas; Pancreatic cancer; pancreatic neoplasms; Pancreatic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Pancreatic Neoplasms - pathology; Peptides - metabolism; Pyrans - administration & dosage; Pyrans - pharmacology; Salinomycin; stem cells; Studies; Tumors; viability; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays; Grand Island; Combination treatment; Salinomycin; Gemcitabine; Pancreatic cancer
• ISSN: 0304-3835; 1872-7980
• DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2011.05.030

Previous research has documented that a subpopulation of pancreatic cancer cells, named cancer stem cells (CSCs), harbor stem cell-like properties. Here, we examined the efficacy of combined treatments of salinomycin and gemcitabine in human pancreatic cancer cells. Salinomycin inhibited the growth of CSCs, while gemcitabine suppressed the viability of non-CSCs. Consistently, in vivo studies showed that salinomycin combined with gemcitabine could eliminate the engraftment of human pancreatic cancer more effectively than the individual agents. These data indicated that administration of salinomycin, which targets CSCs, may constitute a potential therapeutic strategy for improving the efficacy of gemcitabine to eradicate pancreatic cancer.