Cholecystokinin regulates the invasiveness of human pancreatic cancer cell lines via protein kinase C pathway.

We have previously reported that cholecystokinin (CCK) plays an important role in the invasiveness and the production of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in two human pancreatic cancer cell lines. In this study we investigated the pathway of the invasiveness associated with MMP-9 of those lines regulated by CCK. Two human pancreatic cancer cell lines were treated with CCK-8 alone, CCK-8 and staurosporine, or CCK-8 and indomethacine. The invasiveness and the production of MMP-9 were decreased with staurosporine but not indomethacine. These results suggest that CCK may regulate the invasiveness and the production of MMP-9 via protein kinase C in human pancreatic cancer cell lines.