The pancreatic stellate cell: a star on the rise in pancreatic diseases
M. Bishr Omary, Aurelia Lugea, Anson W. Lowe, Stephen J. Pandol
M. Bishr Omary, Aurelia Lugea, Anson W. Lowe, Stephen J. Pandol
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The pancreatic stellate cell: a star on the rise in pancreatic diseases

Abstract

Pancreatic stellate cells (PaSCs) are myofibroblast-like cells found in the areas of the pancreas that have exocrine function. PaSCs are regulated by autocrine and paracrine stimuli and share many features with their hepatic counterparts, studies of which have helped further our understanding of PaSC biology. Activation of PaSCs induces them to proliferate, to migrate to sites of tissue damage, to contract and possibly phagocytose, and to synthesize ECM components to promote tissue repair. Sustained activation of PaSCs has an increasingly appreciated role in the fibrosis that is associated with chronic pancreatitis and with pancreatic cancer. Therefore, understanding the biology of PaSCs offers potential therapeutic targets for the treatment and prevention of these diseases.

Authors

M. Bishr Omary, Aurelia Lugea, Anson W. Lowe, Stephen J. Pandol

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Figure 4

Effect of PaSCs on tumor cell invasion and desmoplasia.

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Effect of PaSCs on tumor cell invasion and desmoplasia. There is accumul...
There is accumulating evidence for PaSC cross-talk with tumor cells, which in turn contributes to the profound tumor desmoplasia that is noted in pancreatic cancer (12, 14, 80–84). Such direct or indirect cell-cell dialogue can also promote tumor invasion and possibly angiogenesis, although a role in angiogenesis has been more studied in the liver. Other cells in the pancreas (for example acinar cells, ductal cells, endothelial cells, and leukocytes) are likely to be involved.