Cynaropicrin inhibits pancreatic cancer cell viability and disrupts cellular redox homeostasis.

Pancreatic cancer accounts for approximately 8% of all cancer-related deaths. The compound cynaropicrin (CNP) has been investigated recently in several cancer models and has been shown to decrease cell viability. We used sulforhodamine B and trypan blue assays to measure cell viability following CNP treatment in PANC-1 cells. CNP reduced cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner (IC 50 = 5.29 µM) and significantly decreased free thiol levels. Finally, in silico docking demonstrated the potential for CNP to bind the DNA-binding domain of NF-κB. These data support further investigation of CNP as a potential therapeutic candidate in pancreatic cancer.