Palmatine is an isoquinoline alkaloid naturally found in plant species such as Corydalis and Phellodendron. It exhibits a wide array of biological effects, such as sedative, antidepressant, antioxidative, anticancer, and antacid activities. In a recent study by Chakravarthy, et al. at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Palmatine has shown potential as an agent for the clinical management of pancreatic cancer.
Advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a notoriously high mortality rate. Current therapies, primarily centered around gemcitabine treatment in combination with other agents, have shown modest success but are limited to select groups of patients.
Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are considered to be the driver of pancreatic fibrosis and are activated by a number of factors, including inflammation. Once activated, PSCs are responsible for the expression of alpha smooth muscle actin and collagen 1 type 1 alpha 1 (COL1A1). Pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) also activate PSCs. Inhibiting the growth of activated PSCs and PCCs with novel compounds has become one possible strategy for combating PDAC.
Palmatine is one such compound. Chakravarthy, et al. show that palmatine inhibits both the growth of PSCs and inhibits the sonic hedgehog pathway. By disrupting the interaction between PSCs and PCCs, palmatine treatment may be a viable method of clinical management of PDAC, either alone or in conjunction with a chemotherapy agents like gemcitabine.
LKT Labs offers palmatine and other chemotherapy agents like gemcitabine for research use.
G1745 Gemcitabine Hydrochloride
References:
Chakravarthy D, Munoz A, Su A, et al. Palmatine suppresses gluatmine-mediated interaction between pancreatic cancer and stellate cells through simultaneous inhibition of survivin and COL1A1. Cancer Lett. 2018 Apr 10;419:103-115. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2018.01.057