Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Mar 15, 2024; 16(3): 968-978
Published online Mar 15, 2024. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i3.968
Verteporfin fluorescence in antineoplastic-treated pancreatic cancer cells found concentrated in mitochondria
Ying-Qiao Zhang, Qing-Hao Liu, Lu Liu, Peng-Yu Guo, Run-Ze Wang, Zhi-Chang Ba
Ying-Qiao Zhang, Lu Liu, Peng-Yu Guo, Run-Ze Wang, Zhi-Chang Ba, Department of Radiology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150010, Heilongjiang Province, China
Qing-Hao Liu, Department of Digestive Internal Medicine, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin 150010, Heilongjiang Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang YQ, Liu QH, and Ba ZC designed the research; Zhang YQ, Liu QH, Liu L, Guo PY, and Wang RZ performed experiments; Zhang YQ, Liu QH, Liu L, Guo PY, and Ba ZC analyzed data; Zhang YQ and Liu QH wrote the paper; Zhang YQ, Liu QH, and Wang RZ constructed the figures and; Ba ZC revised the manuscript; Liu L and Guo PY provided technical assistance; and all authors contributed to the article.
Supported by Haiyan Found of Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, No. JJMS2021-03.
Institutional review board statement: These cell lines, as mentioned in the manuscript, are commercially available immortalized cell lines. Importantly, their use in our research does not involve any human subjects, and therefore, the study does not raise any ethical concerns related to human rights, privacy, or similar issues.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The datasets used and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhi-Chang Ba, MS, Doctor, Department of Radiology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, No. 150 Haping Road, Harbin 150010, Heilongjiang Province, China. zlyyyxzx@126.com
Received: October 8, 2023
Peer-review started: October 8, 2023
First decision: December 2, 2023
Revised: December 23, 2023
Accepted: January 19, 2024
Article in press: January 19, 2024
Published online: March 15, 2024
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Traditional treatments for pancreatic cancer (PC) are inadequate. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-invasive technology proven safe to kill cancer cells, including PC, but subcellular concentration of the photosensitizer to the mitochondria is key.

Research motivation

This study investigated the distribution of fluorescence of verteporfin in PC cells treated with antitumor drugs.

Research objectives

This preliminary in vitro study was to investigate the effectiveness of the photosensitizer verteporfin in human PC cells, and tested whether its use in combination with other common treatments is viable.

Research methods

Workable survival rates of PC cells were determined with chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy drugs in vitro, with or without verteporfin, as measured via MTT, flow cytometry, and laser confocal microscopy. Confocal laser microscopy allowed observation of gemcitabine (GEM)- and verteporfin-treated PC cells co-stained with 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and MitoTracker Green to differentiate living and dead cells and subcellular localization of verteporfin, respectively.

Research results

Cell survival significantly dropped upon exposure to either chemotherapy drug, but not to sirolimus or cetuximab. Both cell lines responded similarly to GEM. Additional experiments using GEM showed that survival rates of the PC cells treated with 10 μmol/L verteporfin (but not lesser concentrations) were significantly lower relative to nil verteporfin. After GEM treatment, verteporfin was observed primarily in the mitochondria.

Research conclusions

Verteporfin was observed in living cells. In GEM-treated human PC cells, verteporfin was particularly prevalent in the mitochondria. This study supports further study of PDT for the treatment of PC after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Research perspectives

In the future, more study can be investigated in using PDT in the comprehensive treatment of PC after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.