Targeting arachidonic acid pathway-associated NF-κB in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the foremost causes of cancer-related death in the United States and worldwide. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) is a transcription factor which plays a pivotal involvement in pancreatic cancer owing to its connection at the downstream stage of many signaling cascades including arachidonic acid (AA) pathway. AA cascade is an upstream pathway and regulator of NF-κB pathway. Moreover, NF-κB can bind to the cis-acting elements in the promoter of phospholipase A₂s, cyclooxygenases, and lipoxygenases, and these pathways are upregulated in a variety of cancers. Several investigators have proved that AA pathway-associated NF-κB has key role in pathophysiology of pancreatic cancer and has been considered as a vital therapeutic target. Several phytochemicals have been explored as novel therapeutic and preventive agents by targeting AA cascade-associated NF-κB pathway. In this chapter, the role of AA cascade-associated NF-κB pathway in pancreatic cancer has been reviewed and discussed about plant-derived inhibitors of this pathway for the prevention and the therapy of pancreatic cancer.