Periplocin Induces Apoptosis of Pancreatic Cancer Cells through Autophagy via the AMPK/mTOR Pathway

Periplocin, a natural compound, has been shown to induce apoptosis in a variety of cancer cells. However, no research has been conducted to demonstrate that Periplocin has a regulatory effect on autophagy. This study is aimed to determine the effect of Periplocin treatment on autophagy in human pancreatic cancer cells, as well as the underlying mechanisms. Pancreatic cancer cells were treated with different concentrations of Periplocin, and real-time cell analysis (RTCA), colony formation assay, and Ki67 immunofluorescence detection were used to determine cell proliferation. Autophagy protein was detected by immunofluorescence and western blotting. Western blotting was also used to detect the caspase family of apoptotic proteins. Flow cytometry and TUNEL staining were used to detect cell apoptosis. Following treatment with Periplocin, the expression of autophagy genes was detected using RNA-seq. In vivo examination of the effect of Periplocin on autophagy in pancreatic was performed using a xenograft model. Periplocin inhibits the proliferation of CFPAC1 and PANC1 cells and induces autophagy by regulating the AMPK/mTOR pathway. Using the AMPK inhibitor Compound C(CC), both the Periplocin-induced inhibition of cell proliferation and autophagy activation was reduced, which further verified this conclusion. Periplocin inhibits CFPAC1 xenograft tumor growth in nude mice and increases tumor cell autophagy. Collectively, these results have shown that Periplocin promotes autophagy in human pancreatic cancer cells by regulating the AMPK/mTOR pathway.