Impact of insulin, glucagon and the I-G complex on cell viability and metabolism in Panc-1

Sammanfattning: Cancer has been found not only to be a disease of genetic mutations, but also a metabolic state by which insulin and glucagon has an impact on cancer cells. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal cancer with high risk of recurrence of cancer cells after cancer therapy treatment with a worse outcome. Healthy individuals are reported to have imbalance of blood glucose homeostasis, and an imbalance between secreted insulin and glucagon, which contribute to diabetes onset and might create a new complex between human insulin and glucagon. An increased risk of developing cancer has been seen in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Investigations were done on human insulin and glucagon and its formation into a new complex. Pancreatic cancer cell lines, Panc-1, were treated with these different peptides, in different concentrations, to find out the impact on cell viability. Lactate-Glo Assay were performed, investigating if there was a change of metabolism within the cells. A complex formation of insulin and glucagon from bovine and porcine, receptively, has previously been shown. Here it is reported of the existence of a new insulin-glucagon (I-G) complex made from human peptides. The I-G complex increase cancer cell viability, change the metabolism within the cells and act differently than from insulin and glucagon alone. The I-G complex interaction in cancer and diabetes, are to be further investigated.