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  • Blocking Autophagy in Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Supports Chemotherapy of Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

Blocking Autophagy in Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Supports Chemotherapy of Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

Frontiers in oncology (2018-12-21)
Xianbin Zhang, Maria Schönrogge, Johanna Eichberg, Edgar Heinz Uwe Wendt, Simone Kumstel, Jan Stenzel, Tobias Lindner, Robert Jaster, Bernd Joachim Krause, Brigitte Vollmar, Dietmar Zechner
ABSTRACT

In this study we evaluated the interaction of pancreatic cancer cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and distinct drugs such as α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate, metformin, and gemcitabine. We observed that α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate as monotherapy or in combination with metformin could significantly induce collagen I deposition within the stromal reaction. Subsequently, we demonstrated that cancer-associated fibroblasts impaired the anti-proliferation efficacy of α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate, metformin and gemcitabine. Interestingly, inhibition of autophagy in these fibroblasts can augment the anti-proliferation effect of these chemotherapeutics in vitro and can reduce the tumor weight in a syngeneic pancreatic cancer model. These results suggest that inhibiting autophagy in cancer-associated fibroblasts may contribute to strategies targeting cancer.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

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