Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33530428›Full record

ArticlePharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)2021

Protopine/Gemcitabine Combination Induces Cytotoxic or Cytoprotective Effects in Cell Type-Specific and Dose-Dependent Manner on Human Cancer and Normal Cells.

Mercedes Garcia-Gil, Benedetta Turri, Morena Gabriele, Laura Pucci, Alessandro Agnarelli, Michele Lai, Giulia Freer, Mauro Pistello, Robert Vignali, Renata Batistoni and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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. Antitumor Alkaloids in Tibetan Corydalis: Chemical Diversity and Pharmacological Insights.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2025
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  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

11 authors.

Mercedes Garcia-GilDepartment of Biology, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1344-2786
Benedetta TurriDepartment of Biology, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
Morena GabrieleInstitute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9456-6755
Laura PucciInstitute of Agricultural Biology and Biotechnology, National Research Council, 56124 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-7063-6192
Alessandro AgnarelliDepartment of Biology, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
Michele LaiRetrovirus Centre, Department of Translational Medicine and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-7597-123X
Giulia FreerRetrovirus Centre, Department of Translational Medicine and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
Mauro PistelloRetrovirus Centre, Department of Translational Medicine and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
Robert VignaliDepartment of Biology, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-2947-5574
Renata BatistoniDepartment of Biology, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
Silvia MarracciDepartment of Biology, University of Pisa, 56127 Pisa, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0730-2648

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The natural alkaloid protopine (PRO) exhibits pharmacological properties including anticancer activity. We investigated the effects of PRO, alone and in combination with the chemotherapeutic gemcitabine (GEM), on human tumor cell lines and non-tumor human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs). We found that treatments with different PRO/GEM combinations were cytotoxic or cytoprotective, depending on concentration and cell type. PRO/GEM decreased viability in pancreatic cancer MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells, while it rescued the GEM-induced viability decline in HDFs and in tumor MCF-7 cells. Moreover, PRO/GEM decreased G1, S and G2/M phases, concomitantly with an increase of subG1 phase in MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells. Differently, PRO/GEM restored the normal progression of the cell cycle, altered by GEM, and decreased cell death in HDFs. PRO alone increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) in MIA PaCa-2, PANC-1 cells and HDFs, while PRO/GEM increased both intracellular and mitochondrial ROS in the three cell lines. These results indicate that specific combinations of PRO/GEM may be used to induce cytotoxic effects in pancreatic tumor MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells, but have cytoprotective or no effects in HDFs.

Indexed as

cell cyclecytoprotectioncytotoxicitygemcitabineprotopineROS

Identifiers

PMID33530428
PMCPMC7912662

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.