Pancreatic cancer has dismally low mean survival rates worldwide. Only a few chemotherapeutic agents including
gemcitabine have been shown to improve the survival of
pancreatic cancer patients.
Biochanin A, an
isoflavone, is known to exert an anticancer effect on various
cancer types. In this study, we examined the anticancer properties of
biochanin A on
pancreatic cancer cells. The effect of
biochanin A on cellular survival, apoptosis, and proliferation was analyzed using MTT, flow cytometry, and colony formation assay. The effect of
biochanin A on
pancreatic cancer's mitogenic signaling was determined using western blot analysis. Migration assay and zymography were used to determine
biochanin A's effect on
pancreatic cancer progression.
Biochanin A induced dose-dependent toxicity on
pancreatic cancer cells (Panc1 and AsPC-1). It reduced colony formation ability of Panc1 cells and induced dose-dependent apoptosis. Activation of Akt and MAPK was inhibited. Furthermore, the migratory and invasive potential of the
cancer cells was also reduced. The results suggest that
biochanin A is effective in reducing
pancreatic cancer cell survival by inhibiting their proliferation and inducing apoptosis. It affects mitogenic, migratory, and invasive processes involved in
cancer progression. These findings may lead to novel approaches to treat
pancreatic cancer using
isoflavones in combination with other therapeutic drugs.