Significant advances in understanding the molecular complexity of the development and progression of pancreatic cancer have been made, but this disease is still considered one of the most lethal human cancers and needs new therapeutic options. In the present study, the antineoplastic effects of AD80, a multikinase inhibitor, were investigated in models of pancreatic cancer. AD80 reduced cell viability and clonogenicity and induced polyploidy in pancreatic cancer cells. At the molecular level, AD80 reduced RPS6 and histone H3 phosphorylation and induced γH2AX and PARP1 cleavage. Additionally, the drug markedly decreased AURKA phosphorylation and expression. In PANC-1 cells, AD80 strongly induced autophagic flux (consumption of LC3B and SQSTM1/p62). AD80 modulated 32 out of 84 autophagy-related genes and was associated with vacuole organization, macroautophagy, response to starvation, cellular response to nitrogen levels, and cellular response to extracellular stimulus. In 3D pancreatic cancer models, AD80 also effectively reduced growth independent of anchorage and cell viability. In summary, AD80 induces mitotic aberrations, DNA damage, autophagy, and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Our exploratory study establishes novel targets underlying the antineoplastic activity of the drug and provides insights into the development of therapeutic strategies for this disease.
Keywords: AD80; aurora kinases; autophagy; multikinase inhibitor; pancreatic cancer.