Synergistic effects of resveratrol with gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer chemotherapy by inhibiting the c-Met/PARP1 axis

Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant tumor of the digestive tract with a dismal prognosis. A key challenge of pancreatic cancer is its resistance to chemotherapy. The c-Met/PARP1 axis plays an important role in the therapeutic resistance of breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. Therefore, this study aims to explore potential therapeutic targets for improving chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer and the underlying mechanisms. Gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cell lines were constructed by our laboratory using a continuous low-concentration gemcitabine induction method. The proliferation and apoptosis of combination therapy were examined using flow cytometry and comet assay. Synergistic effects of two drugs were determined by Chou-Talalay's combination index (CI). The interactions between proteins were predicted using the AutoDock model and detected through Coimmunoprecipitation assays. The combination of resveratrol and gemcitabine inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells. We found that c-Met and PARP1 were highly expressed in gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer cells. However, resveratrol inhibited their expression and improved the effectiveness of gemcitabine-induced DNA damage. In addition, our data demonstrated that resveratrol and gemcitabine had synergistic effects (CI < 1). Furthermore, the protein interactions between c-Met and PARP1 were attenuated after the early stage of resveratrol intervention. Using AutoDock models, we predicted the potential binding sites where resveratrol could impact the protein interaction between c-Met (tyrosine kinase domain) and PARP1 (CAT domain). Our results suggested that the synergistic effects of resveratrol with gemcitabine depend on the c-Met/PAPR1 axis. Using resveratrol as a combined chemotherapy agent may have clinical benefits for patients with refractory pancreatic cancer.