Anti-cancer Effects of Metformin: Recent Evidences for its Role in Prevention and Treatment of Cancer.

Anti-cancer Effects of Metformin: Recent Evidences for its Role in Prevention and Treatment of Cancer. Curr Drug Metab. 2018 Apr 16;: Authors: Kheirandish M, Mahboobi H, Yazdanparast M, Kamal W, Kamal MA Abstract Metformin is widely used for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Recently growing evidence has shown its anti-cancer effects. The results are mainly obtained from observational studies and thus, little information is available concerning the mechanisms of action. Adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays an important role in the mechanism of action of metformin. The anti-cancer mechanisms of metformin include direct and indirect effects. The direct effects of metformin include AMPK-independent and AMPK-dependent effects, whereas the decrease in glucose level, hyperinsulinemia, and Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) level was considered its indirect effects. Metformin also decreases both pro-inflammatory cytokines and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and improves the immune response to cancer cells. Although the results of recent trials confirm the efficacy of metformin in prevention and treatment of different cancers, the evidence is not adequate enough. This paper reviews recently available evidence on anti-cancer effects of metformin. The effects of metformin in specific cancers including colorectal, prostate, pancreatic, renal, cervical, end...
Source: Current Drug Metabolism - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Curr Drug Metab Source Type: research