Digoxin sensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine via inhibiting Nrf2 signaling pathway

Chemoresistance is a major therapeutic obstacle in the treatment of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). As an oxidative stress responsive transcription factor, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) regulates the expression of cytoprotective genes. Nrf2 not only plays a critic...

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Main Authors: Yunjiang Zhou, Yang Zhou, Mengdi Yang, Keke Wang, Yisi Liu, Mingda Zhang, Yunjia Yang, Chenyu Jin, Rui Wang, Rong Hu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2019-04-01
Series:Redox Biology
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231718310073
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author Yunjiang Zhou
Yang Zhou
Mengdi Yang
Keke Wang
Yisi Liu
Mingda Zhang
Yunjia Yang
Chenyu Jin
Rui Wang
Rong Hu
author_facet Yunjiang Zhou
Yang Zhou
Mengdi Yang
Keke Wang
Yisi Liu
Mingda Zhang
Yunjia Yang
Chenyu Jin
Rui Wang
Rong Hu
author_sort Yunjiang Zhou
collection DOAJ
description Chemoresistance is a major therapeutic obstacle in the treatment of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). As an oxidative stress responsive transcription factor, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) regulates the expression of cytoprotective genes. Nrf2 not only plays a critical role in chemoprevention, but also contributes to chemoresistance. In this study, we found that digoxin markedly reversed drug resistance of gemcitabine by inhibiting Nrf2 signaling in SW1990/Gem and Panc-1/Gem cells. Further research revealed that digoxin regulated Nrf2 at transcriptional level. In in vivo study, we found that digoxin and gemcitabine in combination inhibited tumor growth more substantially when compared with gemcitabine treatment alone in SW1990/Gem-shControl cells-derived xenografts. In the meantime, SW1990/Gem-shNrf2 cells-derived xenografts responded to gemcitabine and combination treatment similarly, suggesting that digoxin sensitized gemcitabine-resistant human pancreatic cancer to gemcitabine, which was Nrf2 dependent. These results demonstrated that digoxin might be used as a promising adjuvant sensitizer to reverse chemoresistance of gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer to gemcitabine via inhibiting Nrf2 signaling. Keywords: Digoxin, Pancreatic cancer cells, Gemcitabine, Chemoresistance, Nrf2
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spelling doaj.art-d469bad7d94f4a29b0fcc7793f5a88b32022-12-22T01:30:26ZengElsevierRedox Biology2213-23172019-04-0122Digoxin sensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine via inhibiting Nrf2 signaling pathwayYunjiang Zhou0Yang Zhou1Mengdi Yang2Keke Wang3Yisi Liu4Mingda Zhang5Yunjia Yang6Chenyu Jin7Rui Wang8Rong Hu9State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, ChinaCorrespondence to: Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, 24 Tongjia Xiang, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, China.; State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, Department of Physiology, China Pharmaceutical University, Jiangsu, Nanjing 210009, ChinaChemoresistance is a major therapeutic obstacle in the treatment of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). As an oxidative stress responsive transcription factor, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) regulates the expression of cytoprotective genes. Nrf2 not only plays a critical role in chemoprevention, but also contributes to chemoresistance. In this study, we found that digoxin markedly reversed drug resistance of gemcitabine by inhibiting Nrf2 signaling in SW1990/Gem and Panc-1/Gem cells. Further research revealed that digoxin regulated Nrf2 at transcriptional level. In in vivo study, we found that digoxin and gemcitabine in combination inhibited tumor growth more substantially when compared with gemcitabine treatment alone in SW1990/Gem-shControl cells-derived xenografts. In the meantime, SW1990/Gem-shNrf2 cells-derived xenografts responded to gemcitabine and combination treatment similarly, suggesting that digoxin sensitized gemcitabine-resistant human pancreatic cancer to gemcitabine, which was Nrf2 dependent. These results demonstrated that digoxin might be used as a promising adjuvant sensitizer to reverse chemoresistance of gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer to gemcitabine via inhibiting Nrf2 signaling. Keywords: Digoxin, Pancreatic cancer cells, Gemcitabine, Chemoresistance, Nrf2http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231718310073
spellingShingle Yunjiang Zhou
Yang Zhou
Mengdi Yang
Keke Wang
Yisi Liu
Mingda Zhang
Yunjia Yang
Chenyu Jin
Rui Wang
Rong Hu
Digoxin sensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine via inhibiting Nrf2 signaling pathway
Redox Biology
title Digoxin sensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine via inhibiting Nrf2 signaling pathway
title_full Digoxin sensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine via inhibiting Nrf2 signaling pathway
title_fullStr Digoxin sensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine via inhibiting Nrf2 signaling pathway
title_full_unstemmed Digoxin sensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine via inhibiting Nrf2 signaling pathway
title_short Digoxin sensitizes gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine via inhibiting Nrf2 signaling pathway
title_sort digoxin sensitizes gemcitabine resistant pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine via inhibiting nrf2 signaling pathway
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213231718310073
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