Functions of pancreatic stellate cell-derived soluble factors in the microenvironment of pancreatic ductal carcinoma

// Qi Wu 1, * , Ying Tian 1, * , Jingqiu Zhang 2, * , Hongpeng Zhang 1 , Fengming Gu 1 , Yongdie Lu 1 , Shengnan Zou 1 , Yuji Chen 1 , Pengxiang Sun 1 , Mengyue Xu 1 , Xiaoming Sun 1 , Chao Xia 3 , Hao Chi 1 , A Ying Zhu 1 , Dong Tang 2 and Daorong Wang 2 1 Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, P.R. China 2 Department of General Surgery, Institute of General Surgery, Northern Jiangsu Province Hospital, Clinical Medical College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, P.R. China 3 Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, P.R. China * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Dong Tang, email: 83392785@qq.com Daorong Wang, email: daorong666@sina.com Keywords: transforming growth factor β(TGF-β), interleukin 6(IL-6), galectin-1, stromal cell-derived factor-1(SDF-1), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) Received: July 26, 2017      Accepted: September 21, 2017      Published: October 19, 2017 ABSTRACT Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal forms of cancer with poor prognosis because it is highly resistant to traditional chemotherapy and radiotherapy and it has a low rate of surgical resection eligibility. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) have become a research hotspot in recent years, and play a vital role in PDAC microenvironment by secreting soluble factors such as transforming growth factor β, interleukin-6, stromal cell-derived factor-1, hepatocyte growth factor and galectin-1. These PSC-derived cytokines and proteins contribute to PSC activation, participating in PDAC cell proliferation, migration, fibrosis, angiogenesis, immunosuppression, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and chemoradiation resistance, leading to malignant outcome. Consequently, targeting these cytokines and proteins or their downstream signaling pathways is promising for treating PDAC.