Design, Synthesis, and Antitumor Evaluation of an Opioid Growth Factor Bioconjugate Targeting Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents a formidable challenge with high lethality and limited effective drug treatments. Its heightened metastatic potential further complicates the prognosis. Owing to the significant toxicity of current chemotherapeutics, compounds like [Met5]-enkephalin, known as opioid growth factor (OGF), have emerged in oncology clinical trials. OGF, an endogenous peptide interacting with the OGF receptor (OGFr), plays a crucial role in inhibiting cell proliferation across various cancer types. This in vitro study explores the potential anticancer efficacy of a newly synthesized OGF bioconjugate in synergy with the classic chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine (OGF-Gem). The study delves into assessing the impact of the OGF-Gem conjugate on cell proliferation inhibition, cell cycle regulation, the induction of cellular senescence, and apoptosis. Furthermore, the antimetastatic potential of the OGF-Gem conjugate was demonstrated through evaluations using blood platelets and AsPC-1 cells with a light aggregometer. In summary, this article demonstrates the cytotoxic impact of the innovative OGF-Gem conjugate on pancreatic cancer cells in both 2D and 3D models. We highlight the potential of both the OGF-Gem conjugate and OGF alone in effectively inhibiting the ex vivo pancreatic tumor cell-induced platelet aggregation (TCIPA) process, a phenomenon not observed with Gem alone. Furthermore, the confirmed hemocompatibility of OGF-Gem with platelets reinforces its promising potential. We anticipate that this conjugation strategy will open avenues for the development of potent anticancer agents.