Selenium Induces Pancreatic Cancer Cell Death Alone and in Combination with Gemcitabine

Abstract

Survival rate for pancreatic cancer remains poor and newer treatments are urgently required. Selenium, an essential trace element, offers protection against several cancer types and has not been explored much against pancreatic cancer specifically in combination with known chemotherapeutic agents. The present study was designed to investigate selenium and Gemcitabine at varying doses alone and in combination in established pancreatic cancer cell lines growing in 2D as well as 3D platforms. Comparison of multi-dimensional synergy of combinations’ (MuSyc) model and highest single agent (HSA) model provided quantitative insights into how much better the combination performed than either compound tested alone in a 2D versus 3D growth of pancreatic cancer cell lines. The outcomes of the study further showed promise in combining selenium and Gemcitabine when evaluated for apoptosis, proliferation, and ENT1 protein expression, specifically in BxPC-3 pancreatic cancer cells in vitro.