Ben Sahra I, Le Marchand-Brustel Y, Tanti JF, Bost F.
Authors' Affiliations: 1INSERM U895, Team 7: Cellular and Molecular Physiopathology of Obesity and Diabetes, 2Université de Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, UFR Médecine, IFR 50, and 3Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice, Hôpital L'Archet, Pôle digestif, Nice, France.
Metformin is the most widely used antidiabetic drug in the world, and there is increasing evidence of a potential efficacy of this agent as an anticancer drug. First, epidemiological studies show a decrease in cancer incidence in metformin-treated patients. Second, metformin decreases insulin resistance and indirectly reduces insulin level, a beneficial effect because insulin promotes cancer cell growth. Third, several reports outline a direct inhibitory effect of metformin on cancer cell growth and an antitumoral action. Finally, metformin activates the AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, a major sensor of the energetic status of the cell, which has been proposed as a promising therapeutic target in cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(5); 1092-9. (c)2010 AACR.
PMID: 20442309
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