Combination Treatment of Biochanin A and Atorvastatin Alters Mitochondrial Bioenergetics, Modulating Cell Metabolism and Inducing Cell Cycle Arrest in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Background/aim: Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive type of cancer, with a dismally low survival rate of <5%. FDA-approved drugs like gemcitabine have shown little therapeutic success, prolonging survival by a mere six months. Isoflavones, such as biochanin A and daidzein, are known to exhibit anti-cancer activity, whereas statins reportedly have anti-proliferative effects. This study investigated the effects of combination treatment of biochanin A and atorvastatin on pancreatic cancer cells.

Materials And Methods: Pancreatic cancer cells AsPC-1, PANC-1, and MIA PaCa-2 were procured from ATCC. The cell viability studies were carried out using MTT & cell count assays. Flow cytometry was used to study cell apoptosis whereas cell metabolism studies were carried out using the Seahorse Mito stress test and XF-PMP assay. The effects of treatment on cell signaling pathways & cell cycle associated proteins were investigated using western blot whereas invasiveness of cancer cells was evaluated using gelatin zymography.

Results: The combination treatment decreased the survival and enhanced pro-apoptotic responses compared to single treatments in the pancreatic cancer cells. In PANC-1 cells, the combination treatment decreased invasiveness, reduced expression of activated STAT3 and expression of critical mediators of cell cycle progression. Furthermore, the combination treatment induced a differential inhibition of respiratory complexes in the pancreatic cancer cells.

Conclusion: The combination treatment of biochanin A and atorvastatin exerts enhanced anti-cancer effects, inducing apoptosis, down-regulating cell cycle associated proteins and invasiveness in pancreatic cancer cells and merits further investigation for new, improved treatments for pancreatic cancer.