HDGF supports anti-apoptosis and pro-fibrosis in pancreatic stellate cells of pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is refractory and characterized by extensively surrounding-and intra-tumor fibrotic reactions that are contributed by activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs). Activation of PSCs plays a pivotal role for developing fibrotic reactions to affect themselves or pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs). In the current study, we demonstrated that hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) was secreted from transforming growth factor-β1