Etoposide induces apoptosis via the mitochondrial- and caspase-dependent pathways and in non-cancer stem cells in Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cells.

Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive malignant tumor. In the present study, we performed several methods, including CCK-8 assay, immunofluorescence technique, western blotting and flow cytometry, to determine the effects of VP16 (etoposide) on Panc-1 pancreatic cancer cells. The results demonstrated that VP16 inhibited the growth of and induced apoptosis in Panc-1 cells. Western blot analysis showed that VP16 inhibited the expression of Bcl-2 and enhanced the expression of Bax, caspases-3 and -9, cytochrome c and PARP. Notably, a strong inhibitory effect of VP16 on Panc-1 cells mainly occurred in non-CSCs. These data provide a new strategy for the therapy of pancreatic cancer.