Description
PH11 is a novel Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) inhibitor. PH11 restores TRAIL apoptotic pathway in PANC-1 cells through down-regulation of c-FLIP via inhibition of FAK and the phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) emerges as one of the most-promising experimental cancer therapeutic drugs and is currently being tested in clinical trials. However, both intrinsic and acquired resistance of human cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis poses a huge problem in establishing clinically efficient TRAIL therapies.
Uses
PH11 is a novel focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor that rapidly induces apoptosis in TRAIL-resistant PANC-1 cells when combined with TRAIL, but has no effect on normal human fibroblasts. The study found that PH11 downregulates c-FLIP through inhibition of FAK and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathways, thereby restoring the TRAIL apoptotic pathway, suggesting that this combination therapy may provide an attractive therapeutic strategy for the safe and effective treatment of pancreatic cancer. PH11 selectively inhibits c-FLIP expression by modulating upstream signaling pathways and may represent an innovative therapeutic strategy. Although further work is needed to fully elucidate the mechanism of PH11-induced TRAIL sensitization, we believe that our results will provide a new approach to target c-FLIP without the risk of interfering with caspase-8 processing, which could potentially lead to TRAIL resistance. This study also suggests a role for the FAK/AKT signaling pathway in regulating c-FLIP expression in TRAIL-induced apoptosis, and this understanding will provide important clues to control the resistance mechanism to optimize the potential of TRAIL-based pancreatic cancer treatment.
