Abstract 1399: Selective induction of apoptosis in pancreatic ductal epithelioid carcinoma PANC-1 cells and normal pancreatic ductal epithelial HPDE6c7 cells by Chinese medicinal herbs <i>Scutellaria barbata</i> and <i>Oldenlandia diffusa</i>

Abstract Pancreatic cancer is a highly lethal disease, marked by late-stage diagnosis and rapid metastasis. Despite treatment advances, chemoresistance persists, leading to poor survival outcomes. Conventional therapies often lack selectivity, causing damage to healthy cells. Scutellaria barbata (SB) and Oldenlandia diffusa (OD) are traditional Chinese medicinal herbs used in treatment formulas in Taiwanese hospitals. We previously showed that SB and OD significantly induce apoptosis in PANC-1 cancer cells. To investigate their potential selective ability, aqueous extracts of these herbs were used on pancreatic ductal epithelioid carcinoma PANC-1 cells derived from a 56-year-old male and on normal pancreatic ductal epithelial HPDE6c7 cells obtained from the pancreatic duct of a 63-year-old female. This study used a green/red/blue fluorescent Apoptosis/Necrosis Detection Kit and Human Apoptosis Antibody Array - Membrane (43 Targets) Test (Abcam). Our fluorescent apoptosis data showed that a 2-hour treatment with 1.0 mg/mL aqueous extract of SB induced a statistically significant percentage of apoptosis in PANC-1 cells as compared to the negative control (88.9 ± 5.6% &amp;gt; 2.7 ± 0.9%); p&amp;lt;0.05. In contrast, there was no notable induction of apoptosis in the normal HPDE6c7 cells under SB treatment (1.75 ± 0.25%). Similar apoptotic induction was observed under OD treatment in PANC-1 cells (92.0 ± 0.1% &amp;gt; 2.7 ± 0.9%); p&amp;lt;0.05, while HPDE6c7 cells remained non-induced (5.25 ± 4.25%). Furthermore, antibody array membrane data revealed significantly higher upregulation of various pro-apoptotic proteins – such as Caspase 8, IGFBP-3, sTNR-R2, and TRAILR-1 – in PANC-1 cells under OD treatment in comparison to normal HPDE6c7 cells. Modulation of pro-apoptotic proteins was also observed under SB treatment. Both OD and SB treatments led to higher expression of anti-apoptotic proteins in HPDE6c7 cells compared to PANC-1 cells. These results suggest that SB and OD contain phytochemicals capable of selectively inducing apoptosis in pancreatic ductal cancer cells PANC-1 while leaving normal HPDE6c7 cells non-induced. Further research could reveal their precise impact on regulating apoptotic pathways, which may uncover their potential as chemopreventive and therapeutic agents for pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: Abby Shim, Jessica Lee, Ryan Hayes, Brian Yuen Yau Wong. Selective induction of apoptosis in pancreatic ductal epithelioid carcinoma PANC-1 cells and normal pancreatic ductal epithelial HPDE6c7 cells by Chinese medicinal herbs Scutellaria barbata and Oldenlandia diffusa [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 1399.