Curcumin sensitizes pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine by attenuating PRC2 subunit EZH2, and the lncRNA PVT1 expression.

ABSTRACT: Development of resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs is a major challenge in the care of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Acquired resistance to chemotherapeutic agents in PDAC has been linked to a subset of cancer cells termed 'cancer stem cells' (CSCs). Therefore, an improved understanding of the molecular events underlying the development of pancreatic CSCs is required to identify new therapeutic targets to overcome chemoresistance. Accumulating evidence indicates that curcumin, a phenolic compound extracted from turmeric, can overcome de novo chemoresistance and re-sensitize tumors to various chemotherapeutic agents. However, the underlying mechanisms for curcumin-mediated chemosensitization remain unclear. The Enhancer of Zeste Homolog-2 (EZH2) subunit of Polycomb

SUBMITTER: Yoshida K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5862331 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature