ArticleScientific reports2021
Repositioning metformin and propranolol for colorectal and triple negative breast cancers treatment.
Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neuroscience in prostate cancer.Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases · 2026Review
- Targeting β-Adrenergic Signaling in Colorectal Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential of β-Blockers.Cancers · 2026Review
- Unraveling the nexus in the neuro-neoplastic progression of colorectal cancer: Potential role of β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR).Journal of advanced research · 2026Review
- Pharmacological mechanisms and clinical impacts of antidiabetic drugs on colorectal cancer risk: a systematic review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Old Drugs, New Battles: Unleashing Repurposed Drug Classes in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatment.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Pharmacological interventions targeting β-adrenoceptors in colorectal cancer: an evolving paradigm.Inflammopharmacology · 2025Review
- Investigating the Potential of Propranolol as an Anti-Tumor Agent in Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Article
- Metformin-Based Combination Approaches for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.Pharmaceutics · 2025Review
- Article
- Anti-echinococcal effect of metformin in advanced experimental cystic echinococcosis: reprogrammed intermediary carbon metabolism in the parasite.Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy · 2024Article
- Single-cell transcriptional signature-based drug repurposing and in vitro evaluation in colorectal cancer.BMC cancer · 2024Article
- Pharmaceutical Agents as Potential Drivers in the Development of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: Case-Control Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2023Article
- Potential effect of chloroquine and propranolol combination to treat colorectal and triple-negative breast cancers.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Novel strategies to reverse chemoresistance in colorectal cancer.Cancer medicine · 2023Review
- Metformin suppresses foam cell formation, inflammation and ferroptosis via the AMPK/ERK signaling pathway in ox‑LDL‑induced THP‑1 monocytes.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2022Article
- Metformin treatment is associated with improved outcome in patients with diabetes and advanced heart failure (HFrEF).Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Drug repurposing in cancer neuroscience: From the viewpoint of the autophagy-mediated innervated niche.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Review
- Beta-blockers in cardiac arrhythmias-Clinical pharmacologist's point of view.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Review
- Metformin - a new approach.Pediatric endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Drug repositioning refers to new uses for existing drugs outside the scope of the original medical indications. This approach fastens the process of drug development allowing finding effective drugs with reduced side effects and lower costs. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is often diagnosed at advanced stages, when the probability of chemotherapy resistance is higher. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive type of breast cancer, highly metastatic and difficult to treat. For both tumor types, available treatments are generally associated to severe side effects. In our work, we explored the effect of combining metformin and propranolol, two repositioned drugs, in both tumor types. We demonstrate that treatment affects viability, epithelial-mesenchymal transition and migratory potential of CRC cells as we described before for TNBC. We show that combined treatment affects different steps leading to metastasis in TNBC. Moreover, combined treatment is also effective preventing the development of 5-FU resistant CRC. Our data suggest that combination of metformin and propranolol could be useful as a putative adjuvant treatment for both TNBC and CRC and an alternative for chemo-resistant CRC, providing a low-cost alternative therapy without associated toxicity.
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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.