Gemcitabine helps deliver albumin-bound paclitaxel nanoparticles in gemcitabine-resistant pancreatic cancer

Treatment with multistage nanovectors and nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel plus gemcitabine significantly prolonged survival in mice with gem-resistant pancreatic cancer.

• Combination therapy resulted in a substantial increase in tumor accumulation of paclitaxel.
• The therapy significantly reduced tumor growth and cell proliferation while increasing apoptosis in tumor cells.
• Gemcitabine was found to enhance caveolin-1 expression, which is associated with improved transport of paclitaxel to the tumor.
• Findings were corroborated by patient data from those who received gemcitabine-based neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.

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