ArticleBMC cancer2016
Combination of metformin and 5-aminosalicylic acid cooperates to decrease proliferation and induce apoptosis in colorectal cancer cell lines.
Article in BMC cancer, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Potentiating the effects of radiotherapy in rectal cancer: the role of aspirin, statins and metformin as adjuncts to therapy.British journal of cancer · 2017Pooled it
- Telmisartan Repurposing Targets Novel Biomarkers for Precision Colorectal Cancer Therapy.Pharmaceutics · 2026Article
- Metformin in gastrointestinal cancers and inflammatory bowel disease: Unraveling its mechanisms and therapeutic applications.iScience · 2026Review
- Metformin as a potential adjunct in the treatment of mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study.Internal and emergency medicine · 2025Article
- Metformin's multifaceted role in colorectal cancer: mechanisms of action and synergy with standard treatments.Discover oncology · 2025Review
- Additive Anticancer and Antioxidant Effects of Metformin and Luteolin in Breast and Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Metformin and its Nanoformulations in Cancer Prevention and Therapy.Current pharmaceutical design · 2025Review
- Review
- How far along are we in revealing the connection between metformin and colorectal cancer?World journal of gastroenterology · 2021Review
- Immuno-Metabolism: The Role of Cancer Niche in Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Resistance.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
- Metformin: A Novel Weapon Against Inflammation.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Review
- Repurposing metformin, simvastatin and digoxin as a combination for targeted therapy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.Cancer letters · 2020Article
- Metformin as Potential Therapy for High-Grade Glioma.Cancers · 2020Article
- Metformin in colorectal cancer: molecular mechanism, preclinical and clinical aspects.Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2019Review
- The effect of metformin use on hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in diabetes mellitus patients.BMC cancer · 2019Article
- Drug repurposing in oncology: Compounds, pathways, phenotypes and computational approaches for colorectal cancer.Biochimica et biophysica acta. Reviews on cancer · 2019Review
- The Photomodulation Activity of Metformin Against Oral Microbiome.Journal of lasers in medical sciences · 2019Review
- Metformin Reshapes the Methylation Profile in Breast and Colorectal Cancer CellsAsian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2018Article
- Combined Modulation of Tumor Metabolism by Metformin and Diclofenac in Glioma.International journal of molecular sciences · 2018Article
- Metformin and aspirin treatment could lead to an improved survival rate for Type 2 diabetic patients with stage II and III colorectal adenocarcinoma relative to non-diabetic patients.Molecular and clinical oncology · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe link between inflammation and cancer has been confirmed by the use of anti-inflammatory therapies in cancer prevention and treatment. 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) was shown to decrease the growth and survival of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. Studies also revealed that metformin induced apoptosis in several cancer cell lines.
methodsWe investigated the combinatory effect of 5-ASA and metformin on HCT-116 and Caco-2 CRC cell lines. Apoptotic markers were determined using western blotting. Expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was determined by RT-PCR. Inflammatory transcription factors and metastatic markers were measured by ELISA.
resultsMetformin enhanced CRC cell death induced by 5-ASA through significant increase in oxidative stress and activation of apoptotic machinery. Moreover, metformin enhanced the anti-inflammatory effect of 5-ASA by decreasing the gene expression of IL-1β, IL-6, COX-2 and TNF-α and its receptors; TNF-R1 and TNF-R2. Significant inhibition of activation of NF-κB and STAT3 transcription factors, and their downstream targets was also observed. Metformin also enhanced the inhibitory effect of 5-ASA on MMP-2 and MMP-9 enzyme activity, indicating a decrease in metastasis.
conclusionThe current data demonstrate that metformin potentiates the antitumor effect of 5-ASA on CRC cells suggesting their potential use as an adjuvant treatment in CRC.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.