Does epidermal growth factor participate in the regulation of glucose, insulin and glucagon levels?

Background/aims: The presence of receptors for epidermal growth factor (EGF) on beta cells in the rat pancreatic islets has been established, but the physiological role remains to be settled. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of EGF on glucose homeostasis.

Methods: Fasted rats were treated with intraperitoneal injections of 10, 40 or 80 microg/kg body weight, either with EGF or 1% bovine serum albumin (controls).

Inhibition of different intracellular signal cascades in human pancreatic cancer cells.

Background/aim: Pancreatic cancer is still a malignant disease with a poor prognosis. Except for surgery, no curative treatment has been found, albeit large research efforts. Agents, such as growth factors and hormones, have been shown to stimulate cell proliferation, whereas their receptor antagonists have been less efficient to inhibit cell proliferation.

Diverse responses between human pancreatic cancer cell lines to native alpha 1-antitrypsin and its C-terminal fragment.

Background: Previous studies imply that human pancreatic cancer cells have a wide heterogeneity and their exposure to various agents may give unpredictable results in clinical situations.

Materials And Methods: The cell lines LPC-3, -5 and -10, established from primary cultures of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, were exposed to 5 microM of AAT or its C-terminal peptide C-36 for 24 hours and analysed for cytokines by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and for NF kappa B by the electrophoretic mobility shift assay.

Results: Native AAT lowers TGF-beta 1 levels and increases NF-kappa B activity in LPC-3 cells, while C-36 increases TGF-beta 1 levels and up-regulates NF-kappa B in LPC-5 cells.

Vitamin D receptor is expressed in pancreatic cancer cells and a vitamin D3 analogue decreases cell number.

Background And Aim: The vitamin D-receptor (VDR) has been detected in both normal and malignant cells of different tissues. Treatment with vitamin D(3) has been suggested as a possible therapy in malignant diseases such as pancreatic cancer. Synthetic analogues of vitamin D(3) have a less hypercalcemic effect than native vitamin D(3).

The expression of retinoic acid receptors and the effects in vitro by retinoids in human pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Introduction: Analogues of vitamin A have been shown to influence growth of malignant tissue, such as pancreatic cancer.

Aims: To study the expression of retinoic acid receptors (RAR) in pancreatic cancer cells and the effect of three different retinoids on the cell number in vitro were studied.

Methodology: Cell lines were established from 13 patients who underwent surgery for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.