| First Author | Cortez NE | Year | 2023 |
| Journal | Int J Mol Sci | Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 13 | PubMed ID | 37445930 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:337929 | Mgi Id | MGI:7508140 |
| Doi | 10.3390/ijms241310753 | Citation | Cortez NE, et al. (2023) A Ketogenic Diet in Combination with Gemcitabine Mitigates Pancreatic Cancer-Associated Cachexia in Male and Female KPC Mice. Int J Mol Sci 24(13) |
| abstractText | Cancer-associated cachexia (CAC) is a critical contributor to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) mortality. Thus, there is an urgent need for new strategies to mitigate PDAC-associated cachexia; and the exploration of dietary interventions is a critical component. We previously observed that a ketogenic diet (KD) combined with gemcitabine enhances overall survival in the autochthonous LSL-KrasG12D/+; LSL-Trp53 R172H/+; Pdx1-Cre (KPC) mouse model. In this study, we investigated the effect and cellular mechanisms of a KD in combination with gemcitabine on the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass in KPC mice. For this purpose, male and female pancreatic tumor-bearing KPC mice were allocated to a control diet (CD), a KD, a CD + gemcitabine (CG), or a KD + gemcitabine (KG) group. We observed that a KD or a KG-mitigated muscle strength declined over time and presented higher gastrocnemius weights compared CD-fed mice. Mechanistically, we observed sex-dependent effects of KG treatment, including the inhibition of autophagy, and increased phosphorylation levels of eIF2alpha in KG-treated KPC mice when compared to CG-treated mice. Our data suggest that a KG results in preservation of skeletal muscle mass. Additional research is warranted to explore whether this diet-treatment combination can be clinically effective in combating CAC in PDAC patients. |
