Resveratrol and pancreatic cancers: Questions and future perspectives

Abstract

There is still no effective treatment for pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest malignancies among the gastrointestinal diseases. Jiang et al demonstrated the presence of senescent cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in pancreatic cancer tissues, supporting the use of CAFs as potential anti-cancer targets. The study indicated that a natural plant-derived compound resveratrol can reverse senescent CAF phenotype and decrease the growth, migration, and invasiveness of pancreatic cancer cells. Notably, the study indicated that resveratrol might be involved in regulating epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in the tumor microenvironment. This editorial shares insights on the future investigation of resveratrol signaling in cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment, and discusses resveratrol-based treatment perspectives.

Keywords: Antioxidant; Cancer-associated fibroblasts; Immune senescence; Pancreatic cancer; Resveratrol; Tumor microenvironment.