Pancreatic cancer has a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%, partly because of limited chemotherapeutic options, thereby highlighting the need for novel therapies. Triptolide, a diterpene triepoxide that was derived from a Chinese herb, has shown great promise in preclinical testing against pancreatic cancer using immunocompromised animals.
In this study, we tested the ability of triptolide to induce cell death in cell lines derived from a primary tumor and adjacent liver metastases of immunocompetent animals (Kras, Trp53, Pdx-1 Cre [KPC]). Both cell lines were more aggressive in their ability to form tumors when compared with other pancreatic cancer cell lines and showed constitutive activation of the nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells pathway. Triptolide induced apoptotic cell death in both cell lines, as evidenced by decreased cell viability as well as increased caspase 3/7 activity, annexin V positivity, and increased terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling positivity in tumors from KPC animals treated with Minnelide. In addition, triptolide decreased levels of HSP70, its transcription factor HSF1, as well as the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-xL, Bcl-2, and Mcl-1, which are known to be up-regulated in pancreatic cancer.
The ability of triptolide to cause cell death in cell lines derived from immunocompetent animals further validates its potential as a novel agent against pancreatic cancer.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
2
8%
Computer Science
2
8%
Unspecified
1
4%
Other
1
4%
Unknown
7
29%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 2. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 12 April 2016.
All research outputs
#15,982,793
of 25,374,647 outputs
Outputs from Pancreas
#1,060
of 2,927 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#149,245
of 278,920 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Pancreas
#25
of 56 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,374,647 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 36th percentile – i.e., 36% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 2,927 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 2.8. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 63% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 278,920 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 46th percentile – i.e., 46% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 56 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 50% of its contemporaries.
