The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Jun 2008
Selective inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 suppresses the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.
Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a prostaglandin synthetase, is involved in development of certain tumors. We therefore analyzed COX-2 expression in pancreatic cancer tissues (53 samples) and Panc-1 human pancreatic cancer cells by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR and western-blotting analyses. Also, immunohistochemistry of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was performed. ⋯ The volume of the tumor xenografted into nude mice was decreased by 51.6% in the celecoxib group (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the increased expression of COX-2 may be responsible for rapid proliferation of pancreatic cancer, and specific inhibition of COX-2 suppresses proliferation of Panc-1 cells in vitro and in nude mice. The selective inhibitor of COX-2 may be an effectual agent for pancreatic cancer chemoprevention.