A Tumor Homing Peptide-Linked Arsenic Compound Inhibits Pancreatic Cancer Growth and Enhances the Inhibitory Effect of Gemcitabine.

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been shown to inhibit pancreatic cancer (PC) cell growth and to promote the inhibitory effects of gemcitabine (Gem) on PC . However, the high toxicity of ATO associated with the required high doses and indiscriminate targeting has limited its clinical application. This study aimed to determine whether coupling arsenic to a tumor homing peptide would increase the inhibitory potency against PC cells.