5-fluorouracil suppresses stem cell-like properties by inhibiting p38 in pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1.

Introduction: Suppressing the phenotype of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is a promising treatment strategy for cancer. P38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK, p38) play an important role in the occurrence, development, and stemness maintenance of tumors. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of p38 on the stemness maintenance of CSCs in pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1.