Stromal SLIT2 impacts on pancreatic cancer-associated neural remodeling.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a critical health issue in the field of cancer, with few therapeutic options. Evidence supports an implication of the intratumoral microenvironment (stroma) on PDA progression. However, its contribution to the role of neuroplastic changes within the pathophysiology and clinical course of PDA, through tumor recurrence and neuropathic pain, remains unknown, neglecting a putative, therapeutic window. Here, we report that the intratumoral microenvironment is a mediator of PDA-associated neural remodeling (PANR), and we highlight factors such as 'SLIT2' (an axon guidance molecule), which is expressed by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), that impact on neuroplastic changes in human PDA. We showed that 'CAF-secreted SLIT2' increases neurite outgrowth from dorsal root ganglia neurons as well as from Schwann cell migration/proliferation by modulating N-cadherin/ß-catenin signaling. Importantly, SLIT2/ROBO signaling inhibition disrupts this stromal/neural connection. Finally, we revealed that SLIT2 expression and CAFs are correlated with neural remodeling within human and mouse PDA. All together, our data demonstrate the implication of CAFs, through the secretion of axon guidance molecule, in PANR. Furthermore, it provides rationale to investigate the disruption of the stromal/neural compartment connection with SLIT2/ROBO inhibitors for the treatment of pancreatic cancer recurrence and pain.

Acute exposure to resveratrol inhibits AMPK activity in human skeletal muscle cells.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Recent studies have suggested resveratrol (RSV) as a new natural therapeutic agent to treat type 2 diabetes and lipid-induced insulin resistance. Here, we investigated whether RSV could reverse palmitate-induced insulin resistance in human primary muscle cells. METHODS: Myotubes obtained from six healthy men (54 ± 3 years (mean ± SE), BMI 25.0 ± 1.7 kg/m(2), fasting plasma glucose concentration (fP-glucose) 5.47 ± 0.09 mmol/l) were treated for 4 h with 100 µmol/l RSV and/or 0.2 mmol/l palmitate, and stimulated with or without 100 nmol/l insulin. Assays of glucose uptake, glycogen synthesis, palmitate oxidation, intracellular signalling and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity were performed. RESULTS: RSV did not reverse palmitate-induced impairment of glucose metabolism. Surprisingly, RSV decreased glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in human skeletal muscle cells. Palmitate oxidation and phosphorylation of AMPK and its downstream target acetyl-CoA carboxylase ß (ACCß) were inhibited by RSV, and RSV completely blocked the activity of AMPK isoform complexes α1/ß2/γ1 and α2/ß2/γ1 in in-vitro kinase activity assays. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress was increased in response to RSV, as indicated by increased phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) and increased expression of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Acute exposure to RSV inhibits AMPK activity, fatty-acid oxidation and glucose metabolism in human myotubes.