Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32816368›Full record

ArticleMolecular carcinogenesis2020

Bitter melon juice intake with gemcitabine intervention circumvents resistance to gemcitabine in pancreatic patient-derived xenograft tumors.

Deepanshi Dhar, Komal Raina, Dileep Kumar, Michael F Wempe, Stacey M Bagby, Todd M Pitts, David J Orlicky, Chapla Agarwal, Wells A Messersmith, Rajesh Agarwal

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular carcinogenesis, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Review
  4. Transcriptome and metabolome changes induced by bitter melon (Journal of traditional and complementary medicine · 2022
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Deepanshi DharDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
Komal RainaDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
Dileep KumarDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
Michael F WempeDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
Stacey M BagbyDivision of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
Todd M PittsDivision of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
David J OrlickyDepartment of Pathology, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
Chapla AgarwalDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.ORCID 0000-0003-1146-4890
Wells A MessersmithDivision of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.
Rajesh AgarwalDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Denver-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado.ORCID 0000-0002-9455-0235
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus · USUniversity of Colorado Cancer Center · USSouth Dakota State University · US

Funding

University of Colorado Cancer Center Support Grant - Lung Cancer Patient-Derived Xenografts with Autologous Human Immune SystemsP30CA046934 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI James V Degregori · 1988 to 2026
$117.0M
PILOT STUDY--SUBSTRATE METABOLISM IN EXTREMELY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTSP30DK048520 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI Edward L Melanson · 1995 to 2026
$32.6M
Molecular mechanism of bitter melon juice efficacy against pancreatic cancer.R01CA195708 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI AGARWAL, RAJESH · 2014 to 2018
$2.2M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA046934NCI NIH HHS R01 CA195708NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK048520
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chemoresistance to gemcitabine (GEM)-a frontline chemotherapeutic, resulting from its dysfunctional uptake and metabolism in cancer cells, is a major contributing factor for failed therapy in pancreatic cancer (PanC) patients. Therefore, there is an urgent need for agents that could reverse GEM resistance and allow continued chemosensitivity to the drug. We employed natural nontoxic agent (with anti-PanC potential) bitter melon juice (BMJ) and GEM to examine their combinatorial benefits against tumorigenesis of PanC patient-derived xenograft (PDX)-pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas explants PDX272 (wild-type KRAS), PDX271 (mutant KRAS and SMAD4), and PDX266 (mutant KRAS). Anti-PanC efficacy of single agents vs combination in the three tumor explants, both at the end of active dosing regimen and following a drug-washout phase were compared. In animal studies, GEM alone treatment significantly inhibited PDX tumor growth, but effects were not sustained, as GEM-treated tumors exhibited regrowth posttreatment termination. However, combination-regimen displayed enhanced and sustained efficacy. Mechanistic assessments revealed that overcoming GEM resistance by coadministration with BMJ was possibly due to modulation of GEM transport/metabolism pathway molecules (ribonucleotide reductase regulatory subunit M1, human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1, and deoxycytidine kinase). Study outcomes, highlighting significantly higher and sustained efficacy of GEM in combination with BMJ, make a compelling case for a clinical trial in PanC patients, wherein BMJ could be combined with GEM to target and overcome GEM resistance. In addition, given their specific effectiveness against KRAS-mutant tumors, this combination could be potentially beneficial to a broader PanC patient population.

Indexed as

Disease Models, AnimalAnimalsAntimetabolites, AntineoplasticApoptosisCarcinoma, Pancreatic DuctalCell ProliferationDeoxycytidineDrug Resistance, NeoplasmFemaleGemcitabineHumansMiceMice, NudeMomordica charantiaNeoplasm InvasivenessPancreatic NeoplasmsAntimetabolites, AntineoplasticDeoxycytidineGemcitabinePlant Extractsbitter melon juicechemoresistancegemcitabinepancreatic cancerpatient-derived xenograft

Identifiers

PMID32816368
PMCPMC7735206
OpenAlexW3058379939

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.