RR-171 is a peptide derived from a sequence identified in umbilical cord blood serum (UCBS), modified by the addition of four arginines at each end to increase solubility. RR-171 has in vitro anti-pancreatic cancer properties, inhibiting the viability, proliferation and colony formation of pancreatic cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Gene enrichment analysis shows that it inhibits the Wnt signaling pathway. RR-171 significantly induces apoptosis and pyroptosis in pancreatic cancer cells and in a subcutaneous xenograft mouse model, RR-171 inhibits pancreatic cancer growth with the volume and weight of tumours significantly reduced. Immunohistological results show that RR-171 inhibits the expression of the proliferation marker Ki-67 and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA), a key protein involved in DNA replication and repair.
