Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Cancer cells proliferate very aggressively, they deplete nutrients and oxygen in the tumor area. While most cells would die under such extreme conditions, pancreatic cancer cells survive by activating a cell signaling pathway called Akt/mTOR. Many teams are therefore looking for compounds capable of disrupting this pathway. These compounds toxic to cancer cells under these extreme conditions are referred to herein as "anti-austerity" compounds (a term derived from the Greek word "austerotes").
Alkaloids from rainforest vines: Unusual alkaloids (natural organic nitrogen-containing compounds) exhibiting this anti-austerity ability have been identified in vineyards in Congo. The German team isolated and characterized the structure of one of these alkaloids, ancistrolikokine E3 from the Ancistrocladus likoko vine. This alkaloid proves to be a promising agent, capable of effectively targeting pancreatic cancer cells in vitro.
Ancistrolikokine E3 eliminates and blocks pancreatic cancer cells: the compound, tested in vitro, causes spectacular changes in the morphology of cancer cells and ends up killing them. Additionally, the compound inhibits the migration and colonization of cancer cells suggesting that the compound may also help prevent the formation of metastases in patients. The compound kills cancer cells by inhibiting the Akt/mTOR pathway and the autophagy pathway.
This work confirms the potential of this vine compound and other structurally related alkaloids for the development of new anti-cancer drugs based on an anti-austerity strategy.
