Statin-dye conjugates for selective targeting of KRAS mutant cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: Over 90% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients involve KRAS mutations (KRASMUT), for which current treatment options are limited. Statins, commonly used to lower cholesterol, have demonstrated certain selective toxicity towards KRAS-transformed cells, prompting the question of whether statin-based conjugates could achieve selective uptake specifically in KRASMUT cells. To investigate this, we synthesized statin-dye conjugates by attaching a fluorescent dye (Cy5.5) to two statins: simvastatin and pravastatin, aiming to assess whether selective uptake indeed occurs. Our findings revealed that these conjugates exhibited markedly enhanced uptake in KRASMUT cells compared to KRAS wild-type (KRASWT) cells. We evaluated the uptake of these conjugates in both KRASMUT and KRASWT cells

SUBMITTER: Moon HR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12788682 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature