title: Vitamin E succinate inhibits survivin and induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells.
abstract: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Identifying novel chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive approaches is critical in the prevention and treatment of cancers such as pancreatic cancer. Vitamin E succinate (VES) is a redox-silent analog of the fat-soluble vitamin alpha-tocopherol. In the present study, we explored the antiproliferative action of VES and its effects on inhibitor of apoptosis proteins in pancreatic cancer cells. We show that VES inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Further, we demonstrate that VES downregulates the expression of survivin and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis proteins. The apoptosis induced by VES was augmented by siRNA-mediated inhibition of survivin in PANC-1 cells. In summary, our results suggest that VES targets survivin signaling and induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Laboratory, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of the District of Columbia, Building 44, Room 312, 4200 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20008, USA.
authors.forename: Dorrelyn
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authors.lastname: Patacsil
authors.forename: Sylvester
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authors.lastname: Osayi
authors.forename: Anh Thu
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authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Francisco
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authors.lastname: Saenz
authors.forename: Lydia
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authors.lastname: Yimer
authors.forename: Ayesha N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Shajahan
authors.forename: Prafulla C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Gokhale
authors.forename: Mukesh
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authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Robert
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authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Subhash C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: Deepak
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authors.lastname: Kumar