Novel Anticancer and Treatment Sensitizing Compounds against Pancreatic Cancer

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Pancreatic cancer is a disease of unmet clinical needs. Considering the poor prognosis and high treatment resistance of this devastating disease, the search for the development, understanding and characterization of potential treatments and/or treatment sensitizers is of clinical importance. The synergy between natural remedies and state-of-the-art cancer treatments has been poorly considered despite evidence of antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor capabilities. Moreover, natural chemical compounds have been the source of many approved drugs. This review collates novel and natural compounds explored for their preclinical anticancer, chemosensitizing and radiosensitizing effects for pancreatic cancer. Here, we highlight a number of natural sources in very early preclinical testing that may hold potential to enhance treatment sensitization, and in turn, reduce treatment resistance and toxicity via lowering treatment dose requirements. ABSTRACT: The isolation of chemical compounds from natural origins for medical application has played an important role in modern medicine with a range of novel treatments having emerged from various natural forms over the past decades. Natural compounds have been exploited for their antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor capabilities. Specifically, 60% of today’s anticancer drugs originate from natural sources. Moreover, the combination of synthetic and natural treatments has shown applications for (i) reduced side effects, (ii) treatment sensitization and (iii) reduction in treatment resistance. This review aims to collate novel and natural compounds that are being explored for their preclinical anticancer, chemosensitizing and radiosensitizing effects on Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which is a lethal disease with current treatments being inefficient and causing serve side effects. Two key points are highlighted by this work: (i) the availability of a range of natural compounds for potentially new therapeutic approaches for PDAC, (ii) potential synergetic impact of natural compounds with advanced chemo- and radio-therapeutic modalities for PDAC.