The Role of Mitochondria in the Chemoresistance of Pancreatic Cancer Cells
Yibo Fu, Francesca Ricciardiello, Gang Yang, Jiangdong Qiu, Hua Huang, Jianchun Xiao, Zhe Cao, Fangyu Zhao, Yueze Liu, Wenhao Luo, Guangyu Chen, Lei You, Ferdinando Chiaradonna, Lianfang Zheng, Taiping Zhang
Abstract
The first-line chemotherapies for patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer (PC) are 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and gemcitabine therapy. However, due to chemoresistance the prognosis of patients with PC has not been significantly improved. Mitochondria are essential organelles in eukaryotes that evolved from aerobic bacteria. In recent years, many studies have shown that mitochondria play important roles in tumorigenesis and may act as chemotherapeutic targets in PC. In addition, according to recent studies, mitochondria may play important roles in the chemoresistance of PC by affecting apoptosis, metabolism, mtDNA metabolism, and mitochondrial dynamics. Interfering with some of these factors in mitochondria may improve the sensitivity of PC cells to chemotherapeutic agents, such as gemcitabine, making mitochondria promising targets for overcoming chemoresistance in PC.