Insulin promotes invasion and migration of KRASG12D mutant HPNE cells by upregulating MMP-2 gelatinolytic activity via ERK- and PI3K-dependent signalling.

Taken together, these results suggest that insulin induced migration and invasion in HPNE and HPNE-mut-KRAS through PI3K/AKT and ERK1/2 activation, with MMP-2 gelatinolytic activity playing a vital role in this process. These findings may provide a new therapeutic target for preventing carcinogenesis and the evolution of pancreatic cancer with a background of hyperinsulinemia.