Evening Primrose Oil Improves Chemotherapeutic Effects in Human Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cell Lines—A Preclinical Study

Abstract

Evening Primrose oil (EPO), obtained from the seeds of Evening Primrose (Oenothera L.), is largely used as a dietary supplement, especially after cancer diagnosis. Human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive disease correlated with poor clinical prognosis and a very low response rate to common chemotherapy. The aim of this work was to study the potential ability of EPO to improve the effects of chemotherapeutic drugs in PANC-1 and MIAPaCa-2 cell lines. Cytotoxicity, cell death, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and EPO anticancer activity associated with the main chemotherapeutic drugs commonly used in therapy were investigated. Results showed that EPO reduced PDAC cell viability and increased paclitaxel efficacy. This evidence suggests that EPO may be used as a potential supplement to increase chemotherapeutic efficacy in PDAC therapy.

Keywords

• pancreatic cancer
• human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
• evening primrose oil
• <i>Oenothera biennis</i>
• chemoresistance
• paclitaxel chemoresistance