World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

LC–MS–INTEGRATED QUANTITATIVE AND THERAPEUTIC EVALUATION OF CYTARABINE IN PANCREATIC CANCER CELL LINE MODELS

Maimuna Fatima*, Dr. Syed Ahmed Hussain1, Bilquis Begum, Ghousia Begum, Nada Ahmed Al Amoodi, Fariya Sultana, Somabatthini Shruthi, Ayesha Ayub Khan, Muskan Khatoon

ABSTRACT

This study evaluates the in vitro antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects of Cytarabine compared to Gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer cell line models (PANC-1, MIA PaCa-2, AsPC-1). A five-assay screening panel was used—two assays for cell viability (Resazurin/Alamar Blue and ATP Luminescence) and three for cytotoxicity/apoptosis (Annexin V/PI, Caspase-3/7 activity, LDH release). Cytarabine maintained full viability (100% in both assays), while Gemcitabine significantly reduced viability (44% and 39%), confirming its established anticancer potency. Apoptotic analysis revealed minimal induction by Cytarabine (7% apoptotic cells, 1.0-fold caspase activation, 8% LDH release) versus strong apoptosis with Gemcitabine (59%, 3.7-fold, 60%, respectively). These findings indicate that Cytarabine exhibits negligible cytotoxic or apoptotic activity in pancreatic cancer models, reflecting poor cellular uptake or inadequate activation in non-hematologic cells. In contrast, Gemcitabine triggered robust apoptosis, validating the assay platform’s sensitivity. Overall, Cytarabine lacks therapeutic relevance in pancreatic tumor systems but provides a comparative model for nucleoside analog screening.

[Full Text Article]   [Download Certificate]