title: FTY720, a synthetic compound from Isaria sinclairii, inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells.
abstract: FTY720, a synthetic compound produced by modification of a metabolite from Isaria sinclairii, is known as a unique immunosuppressive agent that exerts its activity by inducing apoptosis of lymphocytes [S. Suzuki, FTY720: Mechanisms of action and its effect on organ transplantation, Transplant. Proc. 31 (1999) 2779-2782]. Additionally, it has been found that FTY720 has inhibitory effects on various cancer growth and metastasis [J.D. Wang, S. Takahara, N. Nonomura, Early induction of apoptosis in androgen-independent prostate cancer cell line by FTY720 requires caspase-3 activation, Prostate 40 (1999) 50-55]. To investigate its effect on the growth and metastasis of pancreatic cancer, FTY720 was used to treat three pancreatic cancer cell lines (BxPC-3, AsPC-1, and PANC-1). The MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to evaluate the cell death after FTY720 treatment; the wound closure assay, three-dimensional (3D) Matrigel assay, and invasive assay were used to evaluate the migration, colony formation and invasion abilities after FTY720 treatment, respectively. Protein expression in BxPC-3, AsPC-1, and PANC-1 cells after FTY720 treatment was detected by Western blotting. The MTT assay indicated that the growth of pancreatic cancer cells could be inhibited by FTY720 at various concentrations between 0 and 17 microM in a dose-dependent manner, which was also confirmed by flow cytometry. The wound closure assay, 3D Matrigel assay and cell invasion assay all showed that FTY720 significantly suppressed migration, colony formation and invasion ability of cancer cells at concentrations from 5 to 17 microM. After FTY720 treatment, the phospho-Akt, Bcl-2, pro-caspase-3 expression were down-regulated while the caspase-9 protein expression was increased. In conclusion, FTY720 can inhibit the growth, migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. Our study provides a preclinical support for chemotherapeutic approach with FTY720 for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of Combined Multi-Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health and Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, PR China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Minxia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Weiliang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Junwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Qiyi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Haiyang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shusen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001203:Ascomycota; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D000068876:Fingolimod Hydrochloride; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011409:Propylene Glycols / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D011409:Propylene Glycols; D000068876:Fingolimod Hydrochloride; D013110:Sphingosine