Evaluation of the target genes of arsenic trioxide in pancreatic cancer by bioinformatics analysis

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential network of arsenic trioxide (ATO) target genes in pancreatic cancer. The DrugBank, STITCH, cBioPortal, Kaplan-Meier plotter and Oncomine websites were used to analyze the association of ATO and its target genes with pancreatic cancer. Initially, 19 ATO target genes were identified, along with their associated protein-protein interaction networks and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. ATO was found to be associated with multiple types of cancer, and the most common solid cancer was pancreatic cancer. A total of 6 ATO target genes (namely AKT1, CCND1, CDKN2A, IKBKB, MAPK1 and MAPK3) were found to be associated with pancreatic cancer. Next, the mutation information of the 6 ATO target genes in pancreatic cancer was collected. A total of 20 ATO interacting genes were identified, which were mainly involved in hepatitis B, prostate cancer, pathways in cancer, glioma and chronic myeloid leukemia. Finally, the genes CCND1 and MAPK1 were detected to be prognostic factors in patients with pancreatic cancer. In conclusion, bioinformatics analysis may help elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the involvement of ATO in pancreatic cancer, enabling more effective treatment of this disease.