ArticleOncotarget2015
Metformin-induced energy deficiency leads to the inhibition of lipogenesis in prostate cancer cells.
Article in Oncotarget, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers.
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Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bioactivity and prostate tissue distribution of metformin in a preprostatectomy prostate cancer cohort.European journal of cancer prevention : the official journal of the European Cancer Prevention Organisation (ECP) · 2018Trial
- Comparison of Metformin Combinations with Other Repurposed Drugs in the Treatment of Hamster Fibrosarcoma: A Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Metformin-A Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Drug-And Ovarian Cancer: Anticancer Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Targeting cancer metabolism: Therapeutic potential of the fatty acid synthase (FASN) inhibitors.Critical reviews in oncology/hematology · 2025Review
- In vitro Evaluation of Zinc Oxide-Metformin Folic Acid Nanocomposite as a Targeted Drug Delivery System for Cancer Therapy.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2025Article
- Metformin and its Nanoformulations in Cancer Prevention and Therapy.Current pharmaceutical design · 2025Review
- About metformin and its action on the mitochondrial respiratory chain in prostate cancer.Translational andrology and urology · 2024Article
- Metformin Inhibits Zika Virus Infection in Trophoblast Cell Line.Current microbiology · 2024Article
- Metformin: A Dual-Role Player in Cancer Treatment and Prevention.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Unraveling the Peculiar Features of Mitochondrial Metabolism and Dynamics in Prostate Cancer.Cancers · 2023Review
- Diabetes and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Cirrhosis Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.Gut and liver · 2023Review
- Systematic review of antitumour efficacy and mechanism of metformin activity in prostate cancer models.BJUI compass · 2023Review
- Single cell mass spectrometry analysis of drug-resistant cancer cells: Metabolomics studies of synergetic effect of combinational treatment.Analytica chimica acta · 2022Article
- Metformin and Cancer Hallmarks: Molecular Mechanisms in Thyroid, Prostate and Head and Neck Cancer Models.Biomolecules · 2022Review
- Effects of Metformin Combined With Antifolates on HepG2 Cell Metabolism and Cellular Proliferation.Frontiers in oncology · 2022Article
- Autophagy regulates fatty acid availability for oxidative phosphorylation through mitochondria-endoplasmic reticulum contact sites.Nature communications · 2020Article
- Nanomedicine-Enabled Modulation of Tumor Hypoxic Microenvironment for Enhanced Cancer Therapy.Advanced therapeutics · 2020Article
- Recent Research on Methods to Improve Tumor Hypoxia Environment.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2020Review
- Preventative and Therapeutic Effects of Metformin in Gastric Cancer: A New Contribution of an Old Friend.Cancer management and research · 2020Review
- Metformin in colorectal cancer: molecular mechanism, preclinical and clinical aspects.Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The deregulation of lipid metabolism is a hallmark of tumor cells, and elevated lipogenesis has been reported in prostate cancer. Metformin, a drug commonly prescribed for type II diabetes, displays antitumor properties. Here, we show that metformin inhibits lipogenesis in several prostate cancer cell lines. In LNCaP cells, this effect parallels the decrease of key lipogenic proteins: ACC (acetyl-CoA carboxylase), FASN (fatty acid synthase) and SREBP1c (sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c), whereas there is no modification in DU145 and PC3 cells. Despite the relatively high level of lipogenic proteins induced by the overexpression of a constitutively active form of SREBP1c or treatment with androgens, metformin is still able to inhibit lipogenesis. Metformin does not alter the concentration of malonyl-CoA (the fatty acid precursor), and it only slightly decreases the NADPH levels, which is a co-factor required for lipogenesis, in LNCaP. Finally, we show that the inhibitory effect of metformin on lipogenesis is primarily due to a cellular energy deficit. Metformin decreases ATP in a dose-dependent manner, and this diminution is significantly correlated with the inhibition of lipogenesis in LNCaP and DU145. Indeed, the effect of metformin is linked to changes in the ATP content rather than the regulation of protein expression. Our results describe a new mechanism of action for metformin on prostate cancer metabolism.
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