1
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Zhang F, Han S, Song W. Anticancer effects of metformin in experimental animal models of different types of cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lab Anim Res 2022; 38:22. [PMID: 35854362 PMCID: PMC9297580 DOI: 10.1186/s42826-022-00131-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
To systematically evaluate the effects of metformin on tumors in experimental animal models of different types of cancer. Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases were searched for studies on metformin used in various experimental animal tumor models from 2008 to 2022. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 16.0 software after screening literature extraction data and methodological quality evaluation by inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 24 studies with 1108 model animals were included. Meta-analysis results showed that this study used meta-analysis for quantitative synthesis of study results and found that tumor model animals of different species showed different degrees of reduction in tumor volume, weight, and number after metformin intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Zhang
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuai Han
- Experimental Animal Center of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, 010050, Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China
| | - Weijie Song
- Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, 300060, People's Republic of China.
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2
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Kamarudin MNA, Sarker MMR, Zhou JR, Parhar I. Metformin in colorectal cancer: molecular mechanism, preclinical and clinical aspects. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2019; 38:491. [PMID: 31831021 PMCID: PMC6909457 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-019-1495-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence showed the increased prevalence of cancer incidents, particularly colorectal cancer, among type 2 diabetic mellitus patients. Antidiabetic medications such as, insulin, sulfonylureas, dipeptyl peptidase (DPP) 4 inhibitors and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GLP-1) analogues increased the additional risk of different cancers to diabetic patients. Conversely, metformin has drawn attention among physicians and researchers since its use as antidiabetic drug exhibited beneficial effect in the prevention and treatment of cancer in diabetic patients as well as an independent anticancer drug. This review aims to provide the comprehensive information on the use of metformin at preclinical and clinical stages among colorectal cancer patients. We highlight the efficacy of metformin as an anti-proliferative, chemopreventive, apoptosis inducing agent, adjuvant, and radio-chemosensitizer in various colorectal cancer models. This multifarious effects of metformin is largely attributed to its capability in modulating upstream and downstream molecular targets involved in apoptosis, autophagy, cell cycle, oxidative stress, inflammation, metabolic homeostasis, and epigenetic regulation. Moreover, the review highlights metformin intake and colorectal cancer risk based on different clinical and epidemiologic results from different gender and specific population background among diabetic and non-diabetic patients. The improved understanding of metformin as a potential chemotherapeutic drug or as neo-adjuvant will provide better information for it to be used globally as an affordable, well-tolerated, and effective anticancer agent for colorectal cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhamad Noor Alfarizal Kamarudin
- Brain Research Institute Monash Sunway (BRIMS), Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Md. Moklesur Rahman Sarker
- Department of Pharmacy, State University of Bangladesh, 77 Satmasjid Road, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, 1205 Bangladesh
- Health Med Science Research Limited, 3/1 Block F, Lalmatia, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, 1207 Bangladesh
| | - Jin-Rong Zhou
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215 USA
| | - Ishwar Parhar
- Brain Research Institute Monash Sunway (BRIMS), Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor Malaysia
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3
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Albini A, Bassani B, Baci D, Dallaglio K, Gallazzi M, Corradino P, Bruno A, Noonan DM. Nutraceuticals and "Repurposed" Drugs of Phytochemical Origin in Prevention and Interception of Chronic Degenerative Diseases and Cancer. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:973-987. [PMID: 28933290 DOI: 10.2174/0929867324666170920144130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic, degenerative diseases are often characterized by inflammation and aberrant angiogenesis. For these pathologies, including rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, cancer, diabetes, and obesity, current therapies have limited efficacy. OBJECTIVES The validation of novel (chemo)preventive and interceptive approaches, and the use of new or repurposed agents, alone or in combination with registered drugs, are urgently required. RESULTS Phytochemicals (triterpenoids, flavonoids, retinoids) and their derivatives, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin) as well as biguanides (metformin and phenformin) originally developed from phytochemical backbones, are multi-target agents showing antiangiogenic and anti-anti-inflammatory proprieties. Many of them target AMPK and metabolic pathways such as the mTOR axis. We summarize the beneficial effects of several compounds in conferring protection and supporting therapy, and as a paradigm, we present data on terpenoids & biquanides on beer hop xanthohumol and hydroxytryrosol from olive mill waste waters. CONCLUSIONS These molecules could be employed for combinatorial chemoprevention and interception approaches or chemoprevention/therapy regimens for cancer and other chronic complex diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Albini
- Scientific and Technology Park, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
| | - Barbara Bassani
- Scientific and Technology Park, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
| | - Denisa Baci
- Scientific and Technology Park, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
| | - Katiuscia Dallaglio
- Laboratory of Translational Research, IRCCS Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Matteo Gallazzi
- Scientific and Technology Park, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy.,Department of Biotechnologies and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
| | - Paola Corradino
- Scientific and Technology Park, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
| | - Antonino Bruno
- Scientific and Technology Park, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy
| | - Douglas M Noonan
- Scientific and Technology Park, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milano, Italy.,Department of Biotechnologies and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy
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4
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Phadke S, Clamon G. Beta blockade as adjunctive breast cancer therapy: A review. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2019; 138:173-177. [PMID: 31092374 DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2019.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pre-clinical data has shown that beta adrenergic stimulation can affect the development and progression of many types of cancer. The use of beta blockers as an anti-neoplastic therapy has been studied in retrospective trials and observational trials, but no definitive conclusions about efficacy have been made. Within the realm of breast cancer, significant advances in therapy have led to improved survival outcomes, yet there is room for improvement. Beta adrenergic blockade may prove an effective adjunct to standard breast cancer therapy, with little associated toxicity. This article provides a review of the published literature on beta blockade as an adjunctive cancer therapy, with a focus on breast cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sneha Phadke
- University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States.
| | - Gerald Clamon
- University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
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5
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Cuyàs E, Buxó M, Ferri Iglesias MJ, Verdura S, Pernas S, Dorca J, Álvarez I, Martínez S, Pérez-Garcia JM, Batista-López N, Rodríguez-Sánchez CA, Amillano K, Domínguez S, Luque M, Morilla I, Stradella A, Viñas G, Cortés J, Joven J, Brunet J, López-Bonet E, Garcia M, Saidani S, Queralt Moles X, Martin-Castillo B, Menendez JA. The C Allele of ATM rs11212617 Associates With Higher Pathological Complete Remission Rate in Breast Cancer Patients Treated With Neoadjuvant Metformin. Front Oncol 2019; 9:193. [PMID: 30984619 PMCID: PMC6447648 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2019.00193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The minor allele (C) of the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs11212617, located near the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) gene, has been associated with an increased likelihood of treatment success with metformin in type 2 diabetes. We herein investigated whether the same SNP would predict clinical response to neoadjuvant metformin in women with early breast cancer (BC). Methods: DNA was collected from 79 patients included in the intention-to-treat population of the METTEN study, a phase 2 clinical trial of HER2-positive BC patients randomized to receive either metformin combined with anthracycline/taxane-based chemotherapy and trastuzumab or equivalent regimen without metformin, before surgery. SNP rs11212617 genotyping was assessed using allelic discrimination by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Logistic regression analyses revealed a significant relationship between the rs11212617 genotype and the ability of treatment arms to achieve a pathological complete response (pCR) in patients (odds ratio [OR]genotype×arm = 10.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-82.89, p = 0.028). In the metformin-containing arm, patients bearing the rs11212617 C allele had a significantly higher probability of pCR (OR A/C,C/C = 7.94, 95%CI: 1.60-39.42, p = 0.011). Conversely, no association was found between rs11212617 and clinical response in the reference arm (OR A/C,C/C = 0.77, 95%CI: 0.20-2.92, p = 0.700). After controlling for tumor size and hormone receptor status, the rs11212617 C allele remained a significant predictor of pCR solely in the metformin-containing arm. Conclusions: If reproducible, the rs11212617 C allele might warrant consideration as a predictive clinical biomarker to inform the personalized use of metformin in BC patients. Trial Registration: EU Clinical Trials Register, EudraCT number 2011-000490-30. Registered 28 February 2011, https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/trial/2011-000490-30/ES.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabet Cuyàs
- Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance (ProCURE), Metabolism and Cancer Group, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Spain.,Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Spain
| | - Maria Buxó
- Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Spain
| | | | - Sara Verdura
- Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance (ProCURE), Metabolism and Cancer Group, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Spain.,Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Spain
| | - Sonia Pernas
- Breast Unit, Department of Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology-Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge-Bellvitge Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Joan Dorca
- Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Spain
| | - Isabel Álvarez
- Medical Oncology Service, Hospital Universitario Donostia, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain.,Biodonostia Health Research Institute, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Susana Martínez
- Medical Oncology Department, Hospital de Mataró, Mataró, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Norberto Batista-López
- Medical Oncology Service, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
| | - César A Rodríguez-Sánchez
- Medical Oncology Service, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (IBSAL), Salamanca, Spain
| | - Kepa Amillano
- Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Reus, Spain
| | - Severina Domínguez
- Medical Oncology Service, Hospital Universitario Araba, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - Maria Luque
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Idoia Morilla
- Breast Unit, Department of Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology-Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge-Bellvitge Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Agostina Stradella
- Breast Unit, Department of Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology-Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge-Bellvitge Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gemma Viñas
- Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Spain
| | - Javier Cortés
- Department of Medical Oncology, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jorge Joven
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari de Sant Joan, IISPV, Rovira i Virgili University, Reus, Spain
| | - Joan Brunet
- Medical Oncology, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Spain.,Hereditary Cancer Programme, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet del Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.,Hereditary Cancer Programme, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Spain
| | - Eugeni López-Bonet
- Department of Anatomical Pathology, Dr. Josep Trueta Hospital of Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Margarita Garcia
- Clinical Research Unit, Catalan Institute of Oncology, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Samiha Saidani
- Unit of Clinical Research, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Spain
| | | | | | - Javier A Menendez
- Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance (ProCURE), Metabolism and Cancer Group, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Spain.,Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Spain
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6
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Abstract
Inhibitors of mTOR, including clinically available rapalogs such as rapamycin (Sirolimus) and Everolimus, are gerosuppressants, which suppress cellular senescence. Rapamycin slows aging and extends life span in a variety of species from worm to mammals. Rapalogs can prevent age-related diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis, obesity, neurodegeneration and retinopathy and potentially rejuvenate stem cells, immunity and metabolism. Here, I further suggest how rapamycin can be combined with metformin, inhibitors of angiotensin II signaling (Losartan, Lisinopril), statins (simvastatin, atorvastatin), propranolol, aspirin and a PDE5 inhibitor. Rational combinations of these drugs with physical exercise and an anti-aging diet (Koschei formula) can maximize their anti-aging effects and decrease side effects.
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7
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Rico M, Baglioni M, Bondarenko M, Laluce NC, Rozados V, André N, Carré M, Scharovsky OG, Menacho Márquez M. Metformin and propranolol combination prevents cancer progression and metastasis in different breast cancer models. Oncotarget 2018; 8:2874-2889. [PMID: 27926515 PMCID: PMC5356849 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.13760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Discovery of new drugs for cancer treatment is an expensive and time-consuming process and the percentage of drugs reaching the clinic remains quite low. Drug repositioning refers to the identification and development of new uses for existing drugs and represents an alternative drug development strategy. In this work, we evaluated the antitumor effect of metronomic treatment with a combination of two repositioned drugs, metformin and propranolol, in triple negative breast cancer models. By in vitro studies with five different breast cancer derived cells, we observed that combined treatment decreased proliferation (P < 0.001), mitochondrial activity (P < 0.001), migration (P < 0.001) and invasion (P < 0.001). In vivo studies in immunocompetent mice confirmed the potential of this combination in reducing tumor growth (P < 0.001) and preventing metastasis (P < 0.05). Taken together our results suggest that metformin plus propranolol combined treatment might be beneficial for triple negative breast cancer control, with no symptoms of toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Rico
- Instituto de Genética Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina.,El Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina
| | - María Baglioni
- Instituto de Genética Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Maryna Bondarenko
- Aix-Marseille Université, Inserm UMR_S 911, Centre de Recherche en Oncologie biologique et Oncopharmacologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Marseille, France
| | - Nahuel Cesatti Laluce
- Instituto de Genética Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Viviana Rozados
- Instituto de Genética Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Nicolas André
- Aix-Marseille Université, Inserm UMR_S 911, Centre de Recherche en Oncologie biologique et Oncopharmacologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Marseille, France.,Service d'Hématologie and Oncologie Pédiatrique, AP-HM, Marseille, France.,Metronomics Global Health Initiative, Marseille, France
| | - Manon Carré
- Aix-Marseille Université, Inserm UMR_S 911, Centre de Recherche en Oncologie biologique et Oncopharmacologie, Faculté de Pharmacie, Marseille, France
| | - O Graciela Scharovsky
- Instituto de Genética Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina.,El Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina.,Metronomics Global Health Initiative, Marseille, France
| | - Mauricio Menacho Márquez
- Instituto de Genética Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina.,El Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina
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8
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Cuyàs E, Fernández-Arroyo S, Alarcón T, Lupu R, Joven J, Menendez JA. Germline BRCA1 mutation reprograms breast epithelial cell metabolism towards mitochondrial-dependent biosynthesis: evidence for metformin-based "starvation" strategies in BRCA1 carriers. Oncotarget 2018; 7:52974-52992. [PMID: 27259235 PMCID: PMC5288162 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.9732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We hypothesized that women inheriting one germline mutation of the BRCA1 gene (“one-hit”) undergo cell-type-specific metabolic reprogramming that supports the high biosynthetic requirements of breast epithelial cells to progress to a fully malignant phenotype. Targeted metabolomic analysis was performed in isogenic pairs of nontumorigenic human breast epithelial cells in which the knock-in of 185delAG mutation in a single BRCA1 allele leads to genomic instability. Mutant BRCA1 one-hit epithelial cells displayed constitutively enhanced activation of biosynthetic nodes within mitochondria. This metabolic rewiring involved the increased incorporation of glutamine- and glucose-dependent carbon into tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolite pools to ultimately generate elevated levels of acetyl-CoA and malonyl-CoA, the major building blocks for lipid biosynthesis. The significant increase of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) including the anabolic trigger leucine, which can not only promote protein translation via mTOR but also feed into the TCA cycle via succinyl-CoA, further underscored the anabolic reprogramming of BRCA1 haploinsufficient cells. The anti-diabetic biguanide metformin “reversed” the metabolomic signature and anabolic phenotype of BRCA1 one-hit cells by shutting down mitochondria-driven generation of precursors for lipogenic pathways and reducing the BCAA pool for protein synthesis and TCA fueling. Metformin-induced restriction of mitochondrial biosynthetic capacity was sufficient to impair the tumor-initiating capacity of BRCA1 one-hit cells in mammosphere assays. Metabolic rewiring of the breast epithelium towards increased anabolism might constitute an unanticipated and inherited form of metabolic reprogramming linked to increased risk of oncogenesis in women bearing pathogenic germline BRCA1 mutations. The ability of metformin to constrain the production of mitochondrial-dependent biosynthetic intermediates might open a new avenue for “starvation” chemopreventive strategies in BRCA1 carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabet Cuyàs
- ProCURE (Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance), Metabolism and Cancer Group, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain.,Molecular Oncology Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Salvador Fernández-Arroyo
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari de Sant Joan, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Campus of International Excellence Southern Catalonia, Reus, Spain
| | - Tomás Alarcón
- Institució Catalana d'Estudis i Recerca Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.,Computational and Mathematical Biology Research Group, Centre de Recerca Matemàtic (CRM), Barcelona, Spain.,Departament de Matemàtiques, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Barcelona Graduate School of Mathematics (BGSMath), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ruth Lupu
- Mayo Clinic, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, Rochester, MN, USA.,Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Jorge Joven
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari de Sant Joan, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Campus of International Excellence Southern Catalonia, Reus, Spain
| | - Javier A Menendez
- ProCURE (Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance), Metabolism and Cancer Group, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain.,Molecular Oncology Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Catalonia, Spain
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9
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Riera-Borrull M, García-Heredia A, Fernández-Arroyo S, Hernández-Aguilera A, Cabré N, Cuyàs E, Luciano-Mateo F, Camps J, Menendez JA, Joven J. Metformin Potentiates the Benefits of Dietary Restraint: A Metabolomic Study. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:ijms18112263. [PMID: 29143783 PMCID: PMC5713233 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18112263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Revised: 10/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Prevention of the metabolic consequences of a chronic energy-dense/high-fat diet (HFD) represents a public health priority. Metformin is a strong candidate to be incorporated in alternative therapeutic approaches. We used a targeted metabolomic approach to assess changes related to the multi-faceted metabolic disturbances provoked by HFD. We evaluated the protective effects of metformin and explored how pro-inflammatory and metabolic changes respond when mice rendered obese, glucose-intolerant and hyperlipidemic were switched to diet reversal with or without metformin. Mice treated with metformin and diet-reversal showed a dramatically improved protection against HFD-induced hepatic steatosis, a beneficial effect that was accompanied by a lowering of liver-infiltrating pro-inflammatory macrophages and lower release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Metformin combined with diet reversal promoted effective weight loss along with better glucose control, lowered levels of circulating cholesterol and triglycerides, and reduced adipose tissue content. Our findings underscored the ability of metformin to target the contribution of branched chain amino acids to adipose tissue metabolism while suppressing mitochondrial-dependent biosynthesis in hepatic tissue. The relationship between adipose tissue and liver might provide clinical potential for combining metformin and dietary modifications to protect against the metabolic damage occurring upon excessive dietary fat intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Riera-Borrull
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43201 Reus, Spain.
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB-CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Anabel García-Heredia
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43201 Reus, Spain.
| | - Salvador Fernández-Arroyo
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43201 Reus, Spain.
- Molecular Oncology Group, Girona Biomedical Research Insitiute (IDIBGI), 17190 Girona, Spain.
| | - Anna Hernández-Aguilera
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43201 Reus, Spain.
| | - Noemí Cabré
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43201 Reus, Spain.
| | - Elisabet Cuyàs
- Molecular Oncology Group, Girona Biomedical Research Insitiute (IDIBGI), 17190 Girona, Spain.
- ProCURE (Program against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance), Metabolism and Cancer Group, Catalan Institute of Oncology, 17190 Girona, Spain.
| | - Fedra Luciano-Mateo
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43201 Reus, Spain.
| | - Jordi Camps
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43201 Reus, Spain.
| | - Javier A Menendez
- Molecular Oncology Group, Girona Biomedical Research Insitiute (IDIBGI), 17190 Girona, Spain.
- ProCURE (Program against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance), Metabolism and Cancer Group, Catalan Institute of Oncology, 17190 Girona, Spain.
| | - Jorge Joven
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43201 Reus, Spain.
- The Campus of International Excellence Southern Catalonia, 43003 Tarragona, Spain.
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10
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Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of intrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after surgical resection. TUMORI JOURNAL 2017; 103:279-285. [PMID: 28085178 DOI: 10.5301/tj.5000594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
AIMS AND BACKGROUND The relationship between cancer and metabolism has recently been receiving attention. We investigated the prognostic influence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with curative resection. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN The records of 58 patients who underwent curative resection for HCC pT1-2N0M0 between 2010 and 2014 were reviewed retrospectively. Fourteen patients (24.1%) had diabetes mellitus at diagnosis. Local control (LC) was defined as time to recurrence in the liver. RESULTS The median follow-up was 23.3 months. Relapses occurred in 20 patients (34.5%) during the follow-up period; 17 of them developed intrahepatic recurrence, which was associated with diabetes mellitus (p = 0.013) and alpha fetoprotein (AFP) levels >500 ng/mL (p = 0.019). Overall relapses (n = 20) were related to T stage (p = 0.044), AFP level (p = 0.005), and diabetes (p = 0.044). The 3-year local control (intrahepatic control), disease-free survival, and overall survival rates were 56.7%, 50.5%, and 84.3%, respectively. LC was affected by diabetes mellitus (p = 0.046), Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging (p<0.001), Milan criteria for transplantation (p = 0.041), serosal invasion (p = 0.032), and microvascular invasion (p = 0.043). Diabetes was also associated with reduced LC in the subgroup with hepatitis B-related HCC (n = 44, p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS Diabetes mellitus is correlated with intrahepatic HCC recurrence after surgery. Greater attention should be paid to managing patients with HCC and diabetes mellitus.
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11
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Bruno S, Ledda B, Tenca C, Ravera S, Orengo AM, Mazzarello AN, Pesenti E, Casciaro S, Racchi O, Ghiotto F, Marini C, Sambuceti G, DeCensi A, Fais F. Metformin inhibits cell cycle progression of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. Oncotarget 2016; 6:22624-40. [PMID: 26265439 PMCID: PMC4673187 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.4168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was believed to result from clonal accumulation of resting apoptosis-resistant malignant B lymphocytes. However, it became increasingly clear that CLL cells undergo, during their life, iterative cycles of re-activation and subsequent clonal expansion. Drugs interfering with CLL cell cycle entry would be greatly beneficial in the treatment of this disease. 1, 1-Dimethylbiguanide hydrochloride (metformin), the most widely prescribed oral hypoglycemic agent, inexpensive and well tolerated, has recently received increased attention for its potential antitumor activity. We wondered whether metformin has apoptotic and anti-proliferative activity on leukemic cells derived from CLL patients. Metformin was administered in vitro either to quiescent cells or during CLL cell activation stimuli, provided by classical co-culturing with CD40L-expressing fibroblasts. At doses that were totally ineffective on normal lymphocytes, metformin induced apoptosis of quiescent CLL cells and inhibition of cell cycle entry when CLL were stimulated by CD40-CD40L ligation. This cytostatic effect was accompanied by decreased expression of survival- and proliferation-associated proteins, inhibition of signaling pathways involved in CLL disease progression and decreased intracellular glucose available for glycolysis. In drug combination experiments, metformin lowered the apoptotic threshold and potentiated the cytotoxic effects of classical and novel antitumor molecules. Our results indicate that, while CLL cells after stimulation are in the process of building their full survival and cycling armamentarium, the presence of metformin affects this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Bruno
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Bernardetta Ledda
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Claudya Tenca
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Silvia Ravera
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Anna Maria Orengo
- IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genova, Italy
| | - Andrea Nicola Mazzarello
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, North Shore-Long Island, Experimental Immunology, Manhasset, NY, USA
| | - Elisa Pesenti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Salvatore Casciaro
- Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialty, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Omar Racchi
- Hematology-Oncology Unit - Ospedale Villa Scassi, Genova, Italy
| | - Fabio Ghiotto
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Cecilia Marini
- CNR Institute of Bioimages and Molecular Physiology, Milan, Section of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Gianmario Sambuceti
- IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genova, Italy.,Department of Health Science, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
| | - Andrea DeCensi
- Division of Cancer Prevention and Genetics, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy.,Division of Medical Oncology, Ospedali Galliera, Genova, Italy
| | - Franco Fais
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genova, Italy
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12
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Menendez JA, Martin-Castillo B, Joven J. Metformin and cancer: Quo vadis et cui bono? Oncotarget 2016; 7:54096-54101. [PMID: 27356748 PMCID: PMC5342329 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.10262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
How many lives have already been saved by the anti-cancer drug metformin? Inadvertently perhaps, among the millions of type 2 diabetics with occult or known cancers and who have been prescribed metformin since the 1950s, thousands may have benefited from the anticancer properties of this first-line pharmacotherapy. Quo vadis? Now, researchers aim to move metformin from a non-targeted stage of cancer therapy that has been mostly developed retrospectively and empirically into a targeted therapy by following a biological rationale and a predefined mechanism of action. But, who might benefit from metformin? Cui bono? Because metformin is on the leading edge of a new generation of cancer metabolism-targeted therapies, perhaps it is the right time to provide solutions to the challenges that metformin and other onco-biguanides will face in the coming years before becoming incorporated into the therapeutic armamentarium against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A. Menendez
- Metabolism and Cancer Group, ProCURE (Program Against Cancer Therapeutic Resistance), Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
- Molecular Oncology Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Begoña Martin-Castillo
- Molecular Oncology Group, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI), Girona, Catalonia, Spain
- Unit of Clinical Research, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Jorge Joven
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari de Sant Joan, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Campus of International Excellence Southern Catalonia, Reus, Spain
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13
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Sośnicki S, Kapral M, Węglarz L. Molecular targets of metformin antitumor action. Pharmacol Rep 2016; 68:918-25. [PMID: 27362768 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharep.2016.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Revised: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiological studies have shown that metformin, a first line therapeutic agent for diabetes mellitus, reduced the risk of developing various malignancies. Several preclinical studies established some possible mechanisms of its anticancer effects. The primary effect of metformin action is a decrease in cell energy status, which activates AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), a cellular metabolic sensor. This event is followed by a decrease in serum concentrations of insulin and insulin growth factor I (IGF-I), the potent mitogens for cancer cells. In addition to the indirect mode of action, metformin may exhibit direct inhibitory effect on cancer cells by targeting mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling and anabolic processes. This review gathers information on mechanisms of metformin antitumor activity, with special attention given to the impact of this antidiabetic drug on insulin/PI3K/mTOR and AMPK signaling. Furthermore, the factors required for this novel activity of metformin are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanisław Sośnicki
- School of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, Department of Biochemistry, Sosnowiec, Poland.
| | - Małgorzata Kapral
- School of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, Department of Biochemistry, Sosnowiec, Poland.
| | - Ludmiła Węglarz
- School of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine in Sosnowiec, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland, Department of Biochemistry, Sosnowiec, Poland.
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14
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Caffa I, D'Agostino V, Damonte P, Soncini D, Cea M, Monacelli F, Odetti P, Ballestrero A, Provenzani A, Longo VD, Nencioni A. Fasting potentiates the anticancer activity of tyrosine kinase inhibitors by strengthening MAPK signaling inhibition. Oncotarget 2016; 6:11820-32. [PMID: 25909220 PMCID: PMC4494907 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.3689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are now the mainstay of treatment in many types of cancer. However, their benefit is frequently short-lived, mandating the search for safe potentiation strategies. Cycles of fasting enhance the activity of chemo-radiotherapy in preclinical cancer models and dietary approaches based on fasting are currently explored in clinical trials. Whether combining fasting with TKIs is going to be potentially beneficial remains unknown. Here we report that starvation conditions increase the ability of commonly administered TKIs, including erlotinib, gefitinib, lapatinib, crizotinib and regorafenib, to block cancer cell growth, to inhibit the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and to strengthen E2F-dependent transcription inhibition. In cancer xenografts models, both TKIs and cycles of fasting slowed tumor growth, but, when combined, these interventions were significantly more effective than either type of treatment alone. In conclusion, cycles of fasting or of specifically designed fasting-mimicking diets should be evaluated in clinical studies as a means to potentiate the activity of TKIs in clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Caffa
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Vito D'Agostino
- Laboratory of Genomic Screening, Centre for Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Patrizia Damonte
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Debora Soncini
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Michele Cea
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Patrizio Odetti
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alberto Ballestrero
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessandro Provenzani
- Laboratory of Genomic Screening, Centre for Integrative Biology, CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Valter D Longo
- Longevity Institute, School of Gerontology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,IFOM, FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessio Nencioni
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Genoa, Italy
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15
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Pandiri I, Chen Y, Joe Y, Kim HJ, Park J, Chung HT, Park JW. Tristetraprolin mediates the anti-proliferative effects of metformin in breast cancer cells. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2016; 156:57-64. [PMID: 26956973 PMCID: PMC4788686 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-016-3742-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Metformin, which is a drug commonly prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes, has anti-proliferative effects in cancer cells; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this effect remain largely unknown. The aim is to investigate the role of tristetraprolin (TTP), an AU-rich element-binding protein, in anti-proliferative effects of metformin in cancer cells. p53 wild-type and p53 mutant breast cancer cells were treated with metformin, and expression of TTP and c-Myc was analyzed by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, Western blots, and promoter activity assay. Breast cancer cells were transfected with siRNA against TTP to inhibit TTP expression or c-Myc and, after metformin treatment, analyzed for cell proliferation by MTS assay. Metformin induces the expression of tristetraprolin (TTP) in breast cancer cells in a p53-independent manner. Importantly, inhibition of TTP abrogated the anti-proliferation effect of metformin. We observed that metformin decreased c-Myc levels, and ectopic expression of c-Myc blocked the effect of metformin on TTP expression and cell proliferation. Our data indicate that metformin induces TTP expression by reducing the expression of c-Myc, suggesting a new model whereby TTP acts as a mediator of metformin’s anti-proliferative activity in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indira Pandiri
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, 680-749, Korea
| | - Yingqing Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, 680-749, Korea
| | - Yeonsoo Joe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, 680-749, Korea
| | - Hyo Jeong Kim
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, 680-749, Korea
| | - Jeongmin Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, 680-749, Korea
| | - Hun Taeg Chung
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, 680-749, Korea.
| | - Jeong Woo Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ulsan, Ulsan, 680-749, Korea.
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16
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Sui X, Xu Y, Wang X, Han W, Pan H, Xiao M. Metformin: A Novel but Controversial Drug in Cancer Prevention and Treatment. Mol Pharm 2015; 12:3783-91. [PMID: 26430787 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5b00577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Metformin, a biguanide derivative that is widely used for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus, has recently been shown to exert potential anticancer effects. Many retrospective data and laboratory studies suggest the idea that metformin has antineoplastic activity, but some other studies reach conflicting conclusions. Although the precise molecular mechanisms by which metformin affects various cancers have not been fully elucidated, activation of AMPK-dependent and AMPK-independent pathways along with energy metabolism aberration, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis or autophagy induction have emerged as crucial regulators in this process. In this Review, we describe the role of metformin in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers and summarize the molecular mechanisms that are currently well documented in the ability of metformin as an anticancer agent. In addition, the scientific and clinical hurdles regarding the potential role of metformin in cancer will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinbing Sui
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University , 310027 Hangzhou, China.,Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province , 310027 Hangzhou, China
| | - Yinghua Xu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University , 310027 Hangzhou, China
| | - Xian Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University , 310027 Hangzhou, China.,Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province , 310027 Hangzhou, China
| | - Weidong Han
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University , 310027 Hangzhou, China.,Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province , 310027 Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongming Pan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University , 310027 Hangzhou, China.,Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province , 310027 Hangzhou, China
| | - Mang Xiao
- Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University , 310027 Hangzhou, China
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17
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Metformin repositioning as antitumoral agent: selective antiproliferative effects in human glioblastoma stem cells, via inhibition of CLIC1-mediated ion current. Oncotarget 2015; 5:11252-68. [PMID: 25361004 PMCID: PMC4294381 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.2617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2014] [Accepted: 10/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological and preclinical studies propose that metformin, a first-line drug for type-2 diabetes, exerts direct antitumor activity. Although several clinical trials are ongoing, the molecular mechanisms of this effect are unknown. Here we show that chloride intracellular channel-1 (CLIC1) is a direct target of metformin in human glioblastoma cells. Metformin exposure induces antiproliferative effects in cancer stem cell-enriched cultures, isolated from three individual WHO grade IV human glioblastomas. These effects phenocopy metformin-mediated inhibition of a chloride current specifically dependent on CLIC1 functional activity. CLIC1 ion channel is preferentially active during the G1-S transition via transient membrane insertion. Metformin inhibition of CLIC1 activity induces G1 arrest of glioblastoma stem cells. This effect was time-dependent, and prolonged treatments caused antiproliferative effects also for low, clinically significant, metformin concentrations. Furthermore, substitution of Arg29 in the putative CLIC1 pore region impairs metformin modulation of channel activity. The lack of drugs affecting cancer stem cell viability is the main cause of therapy failure and tumor relapse. We identified CLIC1 not only as a modulator of cell cycle progression in human glioblastoma stem cells but also as the main target of metformin's antiproliferative activity, paving the way for novel and needed pharmacological approaches to glioblastoma treatment.
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18
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Schrauwen S, Coenegrachts L, Cattaneo A, Hermans E, Lambrechts D, Amant F. The antitumor effect of metformin with and without carboplatin on primary endometrioid endometrial carcinoma in vivo. Gynecol Oncol 2015; 138:378-82. [PMID: 26050920 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2015.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Revised: 06/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES New treatment options for advanced and recurrent endometrial carcinoma (EC) are necessary. Epidemiological studies showed that diabetic patients using metformin have reduced risks of endometrial cancer (EC) incidence. Moreover, pre- and clinical studies demonstrated an antitumor effect by metformin, with and without additional treatments, for different solid malignancies. However, cancer cell-autonomous effects of metformin on EC have not been fully characterized yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of metformin, with or without carboplatin, on patient-derived primary endometrioid EC cells xenografted in nude mice, to assess its ability to reduce or impair growth in already established tumors. METHODS Two xenograft models were established by subcutaneous inoculation of primary endometrioid EC cell suspensions. Tumors were allowed to grow and then mice were treated with metformin (250 mg/kg, daily, p.o.), carboplatin (50 mg/kg, 1×/week, i.p.), or the combination of both compounds at the same concentration as single treatment, for three weeks. Effects of metformin treatment on the tumor mass were determined by tumor growth follow-up. Metformin influences on AMPK/mTOR cell signaling were evaluated by investigating AKT, AMPK and S6 phosphorylation levels. RESULTS In vivo, metformin did not affect the growth of EC tumors established from patient-derived primary cultures and the phosphorylation of AKT, AMPK and S6. In addition, no enhanced antitumor effect was determined by combining metformin and carboplatin treatments. CONCLUSIONS Metformin, at clinically relevant concentrations, did not show effects on the growth of already established tumors. Adding metformin to carboplatin did not have synergistic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Schrauwen
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Lieve Coenegrachts
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Anna Cattaneo
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Els Hermans
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Diether Lambrechts
- KU Leuven, Department of Oncology, Laboratory for Translational Genetics, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; VIB, Vesalius Research Center (VRC), B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Frédéric Amant
- KU Leuven - University of Leuven, University Hospitals Leuven, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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19
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Tebbe C, Chhina J, Dar SA, Sarigiannis K, Giri S, Munkarah AR, Rattan R. Metformin limits the adipocyte tumor-promoting effect on ovarian cancer. Oncotarget 2015; 5:4746-64. [PMID: 24970804 PMCID: PMC4148096 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Omental adipocytes promote ovarian cancer by secretion of adipokines, cytokines and growth factors, and acting as fuel depots. We investigated if metformin modulates the ovarian cancer promoting effects of adipocytes. Effect of conditioned media obtained from differentiated mouse 3T3L1 preadipoctes on the proliferation and migration of a mouse ovarian surface epithelium cancer cell line (ID8) was estimated. Conditioned media from differentiated adipocytes increased the proliferation and migration of ID8 cells, which was attenuated by metformin. Metformin inhibited adipogenesis by inhibition of key adipogenesis regulating transcription factors (CEBPα, CEBPß, and SREBP1), and induced AMPK. A targeted Cancer Pathway Finder RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) based gene array revealed 20 up-regulated and 2 down-regulated genes in ID8 cells exposed to adipocyte conditioned media, which were altered by metformin. Adipocyte conditioned media also induced bio-energetic changes in the ID8 cells by pushing them into a highly metabolically active state; these effects were reversed by metformin. Collectively, metformin treatment inhibited the adipocyte mediated ovarian cancer cell proliferation, migration, expression of cancer associated genes and bio-energetic changes. Suggesting, that metformin could be a therapeutic option for ovarian cancer at an early stage, as it not only targets ovarian cancer, but also modulates the environmental milieu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calvin Tebbe
- Division of Gynecology Oncology, Department of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Jasdeep Chhina
- Division of Gynecology Oncology, Department of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Sajad A Dar
- Division of Gynecology Oncology, Department of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Kalli Sarigiannis
- Division of Gynecology Oncology, Department of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Shailendra Giri
- Department of Neurology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Adnan R Munkarah
- Division of Gynecology Oncology, Department of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Ramandeep Rattan
- Division of Gynecology Oncology, Department of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
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20
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Menendez JA, Quirantes-Piné R, Rodríguez-Gallego E, Cufí S, Corominas-Faja B, Cuyàs E, Bosch-Barrera J, Martin-Castillo B, Segura-Carretero A, Joven J. Oncobiguanides: Paracelsus' law and nonconventional routes for administering diabetobiguanides for cancer treatment. Oncotarget 2015; 5:2344-8. [PMID: 24909934 PMCID: PMC4058009 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.1965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
“The dose makes the poison”, the common motto of toxicology first expressed by Paracelsus more than 400 years ago, may effectively serve to guide potential applications for metformin and related biguanides in oncology. While Paracelsus' law for the dose-response effect has been commonly exploited for the use of some anti-cancer drugs at lower doses in non-neoplastic diseases (e.g., methotrexate), the opposite scenario also holds true; in other words, higher doses of non-oncology drugs, such as anti-diabetic biguanides, might exert direct anti-neoplastic effects. Here, we propose that, as for any drug, there is a dose range for biguanides that is without any effect, one corresponding to “diabetobiguanides” with a pharmacological effect (e.g., insulin sensitization in type 2 diabetes, prevention of insulin-dependent carcinogenesis, indirect inhibition of insulin and growth factor-dependent cancer growth) but with minimal toxicity and another corresponding to “oncobiguanides” with pharmacological (i.e., direct and strong anticancer activity against cancer cells) as well as toxic effects. Considering that biguanides demonstrate a better safety profile than most oncology drugs in current use, we should contemplate the possibility of administering biguanides through non-conventional routes (e.g., inhaled for carcinomas of the lung, topical for skin cancers, intravenous as an adjunctive therapy, rectal suppositories for rectal cancer) to unambiguously investigate the therapeutic value of high-dose transient biguanide exposure in cancer. Perhaps then, the oncobiguanides, as we call them here, could be viewed as a mechanistically different type of anti-cancer drugs employed at doses notably higher than those used chronically when functioning as diabetobiguanides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A Menendez
- Metabolism and Cancer Group, Translational Research Laboratory, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
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21
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Lin YC, Wu MH, Wei TT, Lin YC, Huang WC, Huang LY, Lin YT, Chen CC. Metformin sensitizes anticancer effect of dasatinib in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells through AMPK-dependent ER stress. Oncotarget 2014; 5:298-308. [PMID: 24457597 PMCID: PMC3960210 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.1628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an important endemic disease in Taiwan with aggressive course and dismal outcome. Dasatinib is a Bcr-bl and Src kinase inhibitor that has potential against HNSCC. We recently disclosed that EGFR degradation is critical for dasatinib-induced apoptosis. Here, we further demonstrate that AMPK-dependent ER stress is responsible for this event. Dasatinib induced ER stress which mediated EGFR degradation in a c-cbl-dependent manner. AMPK activation induced by dasatinib might be due to ATP decrease through the up-regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4). Furthermore, activation of AMPK by metformin sensitized dasatinib-induced in vitro and in vivo anti-cancer effect. The correlation of AMPK activation and EGFR expression was seen in HNSCC cells and human tumor specimens. Our results disclose that AMPK-dependent ER stress plays a crucial role in the anti-cancer effect of dasatinib in HNSCC and further activation of AMPK by metformin might enhance dasatinib efficacy.
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Blagosklonny MV. Koschei the immortal and anti-aging drugs. Cell Death Dis 2014; 5:e1552. [PMID: 25476900 PMCID: PMC4649836 DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2014.520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2014] [Revised: 11/01/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In Slavic folklore, Koschei the Immortal was bony, thin and lean. Was his condition caused by severe calorie restriction (CR)? CR deactivates the target of rapamycin pathway and slows down aging. But the life-extending effect of severe CR is limited by starvation. What if Koschei's anti-aging formula included rapamycin? And was rapamycin (or another rapalog) combined with commonly available drugs such as metformin, aspirin, propranolol, angiotensin II receptor blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- M V Blagosklonny
- Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, BLSC, L3-312, Elm and Carlton Streets, Buffalo, NY, USA
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23
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Menendez JA, Joven J. Energy metabolism and metabolic sensors in stem cells: the metabostem crossroads of aging and cancer. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2014; 824:117-40. [PMID: 25038997 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-07320-0_10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
We are as old as our adult stem cells are; therefore, stem cell exhaustion is considered a hallmark of aging. Our tumors are as aggressive as the number of cancer stem cells (CSCs) they bear because CSCs can survive treatments with hormones, radiation, chemotherapy, and molecularly targeted drugs, thus increasing the difficulty of curing cancer. Not surprisingly, interest in stem cell research has never been greater among members of the public, politicians, and scientists. But how can we slow the rate at which our adult stem cells decline over our lifetime, reducing the regenerative potential of tissues, while efficiently eliminating the aberrant, life-threatening activity of "selfish", immortal, and migrating CSCs? Frustrated by the gene-centric limitations of conventional approaches to aging diseases, our group and other groups have begun to appreciate that bioenergetic metabolism, i.e., the production of fuel & building blocks for growth and division, and autophagy/mitophagy, i.e., the quality-control, self-cannibalistic system responsible for "cleaning house" and "recycling the trash", can govern the genetic and epigenetic networks that facilitate stem cell behaviors. Indeed, it is reasonable to suggest the existence of a "metabostem" infrastructure that operates as a shared hallmark of aging and cancer, thus making it physiologically plausible to maintain or even increase the functionality of adult stem cells while reducing the incidence of cancer and extending the lifespan. This "metabostemness" property could lead to the discovery of new drugs that reprogram cell metabotypes to increase the structural and functional integrity of adult stem cells and positively influence their lineage determination, while preventing the development and aberrant function of stem cells in cancer tissues. While it is obvious that the antifungal antibiotic rapamycin, the polyphenol resveratrol, and the biguanide metformin already belong to this new family of metabostemness-targeting drugs, we can expect a rapid identification of new drug candidates (e.g., polyphenolic xenohormetins) that reverse or postpone "geroncogenesis", i.e., aging-induced metabolic decline as a driver of tumorigenesis, at the stem cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier A Menendez
- Metabolism & Cancer Group, Translational Research Laboratory, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Girona, Spain,
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24
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Orecchioni S, Reggiani F, Talarico G, Mancuso P, Calleri A, Gregato G, Labanca V, Noonan DM, Dallaglio K, Albini A, Bertolini F. The biguanides metformin and phenformin inhibit angiogenesis, local and metastatic growth of breast cancer by targeting both neoplastic and microenvironment cells. Int J Cancer 2014; 136:E534-44. [DOI: 10.1002/ijc.29193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2014] [Revised: 08/06/2014] [Accepted: 08/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Orecchioni
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology; European Institute of Oncology; Milan Italy
| | - Francesca Reggiani
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology; European Institute of Oncology; Milan Italy
| | - Giovanna Talarico
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology; European Institute of Oncology; Milan Italy
| | - Patrizia Mancuso
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology; European Institute of Oncology; Milan Italy
| | - Angelica Calleri
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology; European Institute of Oncology; Milan Italy
| | - Giuliana Gregato
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology; European Institute of Oncology; Milan Italy
| | - Valentina Labanca
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology; European Institute of Oncology; Milan Italy
| | - Douglas M. Noonan
- Scientific and Technologic Park; IRCCS MultiMedica Italy
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences; University of Insubria; Varese Italy
| | - Katiuscia Dallaglio
- Research and Statistics Department; IRCCS "Tecnologie Avanzate e Modelli Assistenziali in Oncologia" Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova; Reggio Emilia Italy
| | - Adriana Albini
- Research and Statistics Department; IRCCS "Tecnologie Avanzate e Modelli Assistenziali in Oncologia" Arcispedale S. Maria Nuova; Reggio Emilia Italy
| | - Francesco Bertolini
- Laboratory of Hematology-Oncology; European Institute of Oncology; Milan Italy
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25
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Sui X, Xu Y, Yang J, Fang Y, Lou H, Han W, Zhang M, Chen W, Wang K, Li D, Jin W, Lou F, Zheng Y, Hu H, Gong L, Zhou X, Pan Q, Pan H, Wang X, He C. Use of metformin alone is not associated with survival outcomes of colorectal cancer cell but AMPK activator AICAR sensitizes anticancer effect of 5-fluorouracil through AMPK activation. PLoS One 2014; 9:e97781. [PMID: 24849329 PMCID: PMC4029793 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is still the third most common cancer and the second most common causes of cancer-related death around the world. Metformin, a biguanide, which is widely used for treating diabetes mellitus, has recently been shown to have a suppressive effect on CRC risk and mortality, but not all laboratory studies suggest that metformin has antineoplastic activity. Here, we investigated the effect of metformin and AMPK activator AICAR on CRC cells proliferation. As a result, metformin did not inhibit cell proliferation or induce apoptosis for CRC cell lines in vitro and in vivo. Different from metformin, AICAR emerged antitumor activity and sensitized anticancer effect of 5-FU on CRC cells in vitro and in vivo. In further analysis, we show that AMPK activation may be a key molecular mechanism for the additive effect of AICAR. Taken together, our results suggest that metformin has not antineoplastic activity for CRC cells as a single agent but AMPK activator AICAR can induce apoptosis and enhance the cytotoxic effect of 5-FU through AMPK activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinbing Sui
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yinghua Xu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jie Yang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yong Fang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Haizhou Lou
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Weidong Han
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
| | - Maolin Zhang
- Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Kaifeng Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Da Li
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Jin
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fang Lou
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yu Zheng
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hong Hu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Liu Gong
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoyun Zhou
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qin Pan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongming Pan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (HP); (XW); (CH)
| | - Xian Wang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (HP); (XW); (CH)
| | - Chao He
- Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- * E-mail: (HP); (XW); (CH)
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26
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Oliveras-Ferraros C, Vazquez-Martin A, Cuyàs E, Corominas-Faja B, Rodríguez-Gallego E, Fernández-Arroyo S, Martin-Castillo B, Joven J, Menendez JA. Acquired resistance to metformin in breast cancer cells triggers transcriptome reprogramming toward a degradome-related metastatic stem-like profile. Cell Cycle 2014; 13:1132-44. [PMID: 24553122 DOI: 10.4161/cc.27982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic interventions based on metabolic inhibitor-based therapies are expected to be less prone to acquired resistance. However, there has not been any study assessing the possibility that the targeting of the tumor cell metabolism may result in unforeseeable resistance. We recently established a pre-clinical model of estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast cancer cells that were chronically adapted to grow (> 10 months) in the presence of graded, millimolar concentrations of the anti-diabetic biguanide metformin, an AMPK agonist/mTOR inhibitor that has been evaluated in multiple in vitro and in vivo cancer studies and is now being tested in clinical trials. To assess what impact the phenomenon of resistance might have on the metformin-like "dirty" drugs that are able to simultaneously hit several metabolic pathways, we employed the ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) software to functionally interpret the data from Agilent whole-human genome arrays in the context of biological processes, networks, and pathways. Our findings establish, for the first time, that a "global" targeting of metabolic reprogramming using metformin certainly imposes a great selective pressure for the emergence of new breast cancer cellular states. Intriguingly, acquired resistance to metformin appears to trigger a transcriptome reprogramming toward a metastatic stem-like profile, as many genes encoding the components of the degradome (KLK11, CTSF, FREM1, BACE-2, CASP, TMPRSS4, MMP16, HTRA1), cancer cell migration and invasion factors (TP63, WISP2, GAS3, DKK1, BCAR3, PABPC1, MUC1, SPARCL1, SEMA3B, SEMA6A), stem cell markers (DCLK1, FAK), and key pro-metastatic lipases (MAGL and Cpla2) were included in the signature. Because this convergent activation of pathways underlying tumor microenvironment interactions occurred in low-proliferative cancer cells exhibiting a notable downregulation of the G 2/M DNA damage checkpoint regulators that maintain genome stability (CCNB1, CCNB2, CDC20, CDC25C, AURKA, AURKB, BUB1, CENP-A, CENP-M) and pro-autophagic features (i.e., TRAIL upregulation and BCL-2 downregulation), it appears that the unique mechanism of acquired resistance to metformin has opposing roles in growth and metastatic dissemination. While refractoriness to metformin limits breast cancer cell growth, likely due to aberrant mitotic/cytokinetic machinery and accelerated autophagy, it notably increases the potential of metastatic dissemination by amplifying the number of pro-migratory and stemness inputs via the activation of a significant number of proteases and EMT regulators. Future studies should elucidate whether our findings using supra-physiological concentrations of metformin mechanistically mimic the ultimate processes that could paradoxically occur in a polyploid, senescent-autophagic scenario triggered by the chronic metabolic stresses that occur during cancer development and after treatment with cancer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Oliveras-Ferraros
- Metabolism & Cancer Group; Translational Research Laboratory; Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona (ICO-Girona); Girona, Spain; Molecular Oncology; Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI); Girona, Spain
| | - Alejandro Vazquez-Martin
- Metabolism & Cancer Group; Translational Research Laboratory; Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona (ICO-Girona); Girona, Spain; Molecular Oncology; Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI); Girona, Spain
| | - Elisabet Cuyàs
- Metabolism & Cancer Group; Translational Research Laboratory; Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona (ICO-Girona); Girona, Spain; Molecular Oncology; Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI); Girona, Spain
| | - Bruna Corominas-Faja
- Metabolism & Cancer Group; Translational Research Laboratory; Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona (ICO-Girona); Girona, Spain; Molecular Oncology; Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI); Girona, Spain
| | - Esther Rodríguez-Gallego
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica; Hospital Universitari Sant Joan and Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII; Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili; Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Reus, Spain
| | - Salvador Fernández-Arroyo
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica; Hospital Universitari Sant Joan and Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII; Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili; Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Reus, Spain
| | - Begoña Martin-Castillo
- Molecular Oncology; Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI); Girona, Spain; Unit of Clinical Research; Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona (ICO-Girona); Girona, Spain
| | - Jorge Joven
- Unitat de Recerca Biomèdica; Hospital Universitari Sant Joan and Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII; Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili; Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Reus, Spain
| | - Javier A Menendez
- Metabolism & Cancer Group; Translational Research Laboratory; Catalan Institute of Oncology-Girona (ICO-Girona); Girona, Spain; Molecular Oncology; Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBGI); Girona, Spain
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27
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Repositioning metformin in cancer: genetics, drug targets, and new ways of delivery. Tumour Biol 2014; 35:5101-10. [PMID: 24504677 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-014-1676-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Accepted: 01/22/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
After sitting many years on the shelves of drug stores as a harmless antidiabetic drug, metformin comes back in the spotlight of the scientific community as a surprisingly effective antineoplastic drug. Metformin targets multiple pathways that play pivotal roles in cancer progression, impacting various cellular processes, such as proliferation, cell death, metabolism, and even the cancer stemness features. The biomolecular characteristics of tumors, such as appropriate expression of organic cation transporters or genetic alterations including p53, K-ras, LKB1, and PI3K may impact metformin's anticancer efficiency. This could indicate a need for tumor genetic profiling in order to identify patients most likely to benefit from metformin treatment. Considering that the majority of experimental models suggest that higher, supra-clinical doses of metformin should be used in order to obtain an antineoplastic effect, new ways of drug delivery could be developed, such as metformin-loaded nanoparticles or incorporation of metformin into microparticles used in transarterial chemoembolization, with the aim of obtaining higher intratumoral drug concentrations and a targeted therapy which will ultimately maximize metformin's efficacy.
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28
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Metformin: a metabolic disruptor and anti-diabetic drug to target human leukemia. Cancer Lett 2014; 346:188-96. [PMID: 24462823 DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2014.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2013] [Revised: 01/14/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
There is a global and urgent need for expanding our current therapeutical arsenal against leukemia in order to improve their actual cure rates and fight relapse. Targeting the reprogrammed, altered cancer metabolism is an emerging strategy which should profoundly affect cancer cells in their intimate and irrepressible needs and addictions for nutrients uptake and incorporation into the biomass during malignant proliferation. We present here how metformin, an anti-diabetic drug that has attracted a strong interest for its recently discovered anti-cancer properties, can be envisioned as a new adjuvant approach to treat leukemia. Metformin may have a double-edged sword effect (i) by acting on the organism to decrease hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinemia in diabetic patients and (ii) at the cellular level, by inhibiting the mTORC1-cancer supporting pathway through AMPK-dependent and independent mechanisms.
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