ArticleEndocrine-related cancer2012
Metformin inhibits growth and decreases resistance to anoikis in medullary thyroid cancer cells.
Article in Endocrine-related cancer, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 89 citations in OpenAlex.
- Will metformin use lead to a decreased risk of thyroid cancer? A systematic review and meta-analyses.European journal of medical research · 2023Pooled it
- Development of metformin-encapsulated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-polyethylene glycol nanoparticles.Molecular biology reports · 2026Article
- Anoikis: To Die or Not to Die?International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Metabolic crosstalk between differentiated thyroid cancer and cardiovascular disease: insulin resistance as a molecular bridge-a proposed mechanism.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Metabolic reprogramming and signaling adaptations in anoikis resistance: mechanisms and therapeutic targets.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2025Review
- Modulatory effect of metformin and its transporters on immune infiltration in tumor microenvironment: a bioinformatic study with experimental validation.Discover oncology · 2025Article
- Epidemiological, Pathophysiological, and Clinical Considerations on the Interplay between Thyroid Disorders and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Review
- Analysis of differential membrane proteins related to matrix stiffness-mediated metformin resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.Proteome science · 2023Article
- Effect of metformin alone and in combination with etoposide and epirubicin on proliferation, apoptosis, necrosis, and migration of B-CPAP and SW cells as thyroid cancer cell lines.Research in pharmaceutical sciences · 2023Article
- Drug repositioning in thyroid cancer treatment: the intriguing case of anti-diabetic drugs.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Review
- Article
- Links between Thyroid Disorders and Glucose Homeostasis.Diabetes & metabolism journal · 2022Review
- Metformin and Cancer Hallmarks: Molecular Mechanisms in Thyroid, Prostate and Head and Neck Cancer Models.Biomolecules · 2022Review
- Therapeutic effect of metformin in the treatment of endometrial cancer.Oncology letters · 2020Review
- Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit 4 (COX4): A Potential Therapeutic Target for the Treatment of Medullary Thyroid Cancer.Cancers · 2020Article
- Review
- Metformin and LW6 impairs pancreatic cancer cells and reduces nuclear localization of YAP1.Journal of Cancer · 2020Article
- Human immunodeficiency virus, diabetes mellitus and thyroid abnormalities: Should we be screening?Southern African journal of HIV medicine · 2020Article
- Metformin Inhibits Proliferation of Human Thyroid Cancer TPC-1 Cells by Decreasing LRP2 to Suppress the JNK Pathway.OncoTargets and therapy · 2020Article
- Diabetes and its Potential Impact on Head and Neck Oncogenesis.Journal of Cancer · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is associated with activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways. Recent studies showed that the antidiabetic agent metformin decreases proliferation of cancer cells through 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent inhibition of mTOR. In the current study, we assessed the effect of metformin on MTC cells. For this purpose, we determined growth, viability, migration, and resistance to anoikis assays using two MTC-derived cell lines (TT and MZ-CRC-1). Expressions of molecular targets of metformin were examined in MTC cell lines and in 14 human MTC tissue samples. We found that metformin inhibited growth and decreased expression of cyclin D1 in MTC cells. Treatment with metformin was associated with inhibition of mTOR/p70S6K/pS6 signaling and downregulation of pERK in both TT and MZ-CRC-1 cells. Metformin had no significant effects on pAKT in the cell lines examined. Metformin-inducible AMPK activation was noted only in TT cells. Treatment with AMPK inhibitor (compound C) or AMPK silencing did not prevent growth inhibitory effects of metformin in TT cells. Metformin had no effect on MTC cell migration but reduced the ability of cells to form multicellular spheroids in nonadherent conditions. Immunostaining of human MTC showed over-expression of cyclin D1 in all tumors compared with corresponding normal tissue. Activation of mTOR/p70S6K was detected in 8/14 (57.1%) examined tumors. Together, these findings indicate that growth inhibitory effects in MTC cells are associated with downregulation of both mTOR/6SK and pERK signaling pathways. Expression of metformin's molecular targets in human MTC cells suggests its potential utility for the treatment of MTC in patients.
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