Anticancer effect of palmitoyl piperidinopiperidine against human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive cancer types owing to its early metastasis and resistance to treatment. Therefore, novel treatments for PDAC should be urgently developed. We previously demonstrated that1‑palmitoyl‑4‑piperidinopiperidine (PPI), a derivative of palmitic acid, showed anticancer effects against human colon cell lines by inhibiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation. However, no studies have focused on the potency of PPI against human PDAC BxPC-3 cells.

METHODS

We examined cell viability after treatment with PPI for 72-h. We evaluated apoptosis- and cell cycle-related molecules using immunocytochemistry and western blotting.

RESULT: PPI dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation, with an IC50 of 4.93 μM. Moreover, PPI treatment induces apoptosis. We also observed G1 cell cycle arrest, as indicated by cyclin D1, Cdk4, Cdk6, cyclin E, and Cdk2 downregulation. Furthermore, the expression of phosphorylated STAT3 and its downstream proteins, including MMP2, MMP9, and VEGF, decreased following PPI treatment.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that PPI exerts antitumor effects against BxPC-3 cells by inhibiting STAT3 phosphorylation.