Salinomycin nanoparticles interfere with tumor cell growth and the tumor microenvironment in an orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer

<p><b>Aims:</b> Recently, salinomycin (SAL) has been reported to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in various tumors. The aim of this study was to deliver SAL to orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer by the aid of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs).</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> The NPs were physico-chemically characterized and evaluated for cytotoxicity on luciferase-transduced AsPC-1 cells <i>in vitro</i> as well as implanted orthotopically into the pancreas of nude mice.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> SAL (3.5 mg/kg every other day) blocked tumor growth by 52% compared to the control group after 3 weeks of therapy. Western blotting of tumor protein extracts indicated that SAL treatment leads to up-regulation of E-cadherin, <i>β</i>-catenin, and transforming growth factor beta receptor (TGF<i>β</i>R) expressions in AsPC-1 orthotopic tumor. Noteworthy, immunofluorescence staining of adjacent tumor sections showed that treatment with SAL NPs cause significant apoptosis in the tumor cells rather than the stroma. Further investigations also revealed that TGF<i>β</i>R2 over-expression was induced in stroma cells after treatment with SAL NPs.</p> <p><b>Conclusion:</b> These results highlight SAL-loaded PLGA NPs as a promising system for pancreatic cancer treatment, while the mechanistic questions need to be subsequently tested.</p