Nobiletin Inhibits Cell Growth, Migration and Invasion, and Enhances the Anti-Cancer Effect of Gemcitabine on Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Abstract

Natural products are very promising adjuvants with a variety of biological activities. Nobiletin, a citrus polymethoxyflavone, has been shown to exert an anticancer effect in various cell lines. In this study, we investigated the effects of nobiletin on cell viability, sphere formation, migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, and the underlying mechanisms. Our results demonstrate that nobiletin significantly inhibited PANC-1 cell migration and invasion, and these effects were associated with downregulation of MMP-2. We also found that nobiletin, in a low concentration, exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on sphere formation. The potential molecular mechanisms were related to significant downregulation of p-mTOR and p-STAT3. Furthermore, we found that nobiletin combined with gemcitabine synergistically inhibited PANC-1 cell viability and sphere formation. The underlying mechanisms of the synergistic inhibition on growth were associated with decreases in p-STAT3 expression. Overall, our results suggest that nobiletin may be a promising candidate for pancreatic cancer adjuvant treatment.