Inhibitory effect of liriopesides B in combination with gemcitabine on human pancreatic cancer cells

Gemcitabine (GEM) is a standard chemotherapeutic agent for patients with pancreatic cancer; however, GEM-based chemotherapy has a high rate of toxicity. A combination of GEM and active constituents from natural products may enhance its therapeutic efficacy and reduce its toxicity. This study investigated the synergistic effects of the combination of liriopesides B (LirB) from Liriope spicata var. prolifera and GEM on human pancreatic cancer cells. The results of our study showed that the combination of LirB and GEM synergistically decreased the viability of pancreatic cancer cells. The combination also caused a strong increase in apoptosis and a strong decrease in cell migration and invasion. Furthermore, LirB combined with GEM had potent inhibitory effects on pancreatic cancer stem cells (CSCs). Studies on the mechanisms of action showed that the combination more potently inhibited protein kinase B (Akt) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), as well as the downstream antiapoptotic molecules B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and survivin than either agent used alone. The results of this study suggest that the combination of LirB with GEM may improve the efficacy of GEM for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.