Pancreatic cancer is an especially lethal and aggressive cancer. Although it is relatively low in incidence, it is much deadlier than other cancers, ranking as the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death in the US. Nonspecific symptoms and a lack of biomarkers and simple examinations to diagnose pancreatic cancer make it difficult to detect in early stages. As a result, most patients are diagnosed when the disease has progressed and surgical resection is no longer possible. In addition, pancreatic cancer is highly resistant to current chemotherapy regimens, resulting in a poor prognosis for patients. Pancreatic cancer cells employ autophagy, a regulated catabolic pathway that degrades cellular organelles and macromolecules, for survival under nutrient deprivation. In 2006, the natural product Angelmarin was isolated from the Japanese medicinal plant Angelica pubescens. Angelmarin exhibited preferential cytotoxicity against PANC-1 cancer cells only under nutrient-deprived conditions. With inspiration from the chemical structure of Angelmarin, the Carrico-Moniz Lab has synthesized several structural analogs, leading us to develop our current lead compound, DCM-MJ-I-21, an isoprenylated coumarin compound. Two of the main structural features of DCM-MJ-I-21 are the length and structure of the isoprenylated moiety. Previous studies by the lab have shown that increased tail length increases the cytotoxicity of the compound. This study aims to further evaluate how the structure of the isoprenyl moiety influences cytotoxic activity. Results of this study will be presented.

SAR studies in anti-pancreatic cancer compounds

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.