ArticleOncoimmunology2021
Metformin promotes anticancer activity of NK cells in a p38 MAPK dependent manner.
Article in Oncoimmunology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Bibliometric analysis of metformin as an immunomodulator (2013-2024).Frontiers in immunology · 2024Pooled it
- Paracetamol and Metformin Reduce NK-Cell Susceptibility in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells in Association with Enrichment of Immune-Evasive CD44International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Therapeutic repurposing of old drugs to modulate the tumor immune microenvironment and enhance immunotherapy efficacy.Journal of pharmaceutical analysis · 2026Review
- Metformin as an Innate Immune Modulator: Metabolic and Epigenetic Reprogramming of Innate Immune Cells and Therapeutic Implications.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Review
- Metformin enhances TRAIL-mediated antitumor activity of liver natural killer cells in mice.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Life Factors and Melanoma: From the Macroscopic State to the Molecular Mechanism.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- Immunosenescence, Physical Exercise, and their Implications in Tumor Immunity and Immunotherapy.International journal of biological sciences · 2025Review
- Metformin inhibits pathological retinal neovascularization but promotes retinal fibrosis in experimental neovascular age-related macular degeneration.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Pteryxin enhances human NK-cell cytotoxicity by upregulating NKp30, NKp46, and 2B4 via ERK/AKT signaling.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Targeting cancer and immune cell metabolism with the complex I inhibitors metformin and IACS-010759.Molecular oncology · 2024Review
- Harnessing Metformin's Immunomodulatory Effects on Immune Cells to Combat Breast Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Anexelekto (AXL) no more: microRNA-155 (miR-155) controls the "Uncontrolled" in SARS-CoV-2.Human cell · 2024Review
- Landscape of targeted therapies for lung squamous cell carcinoma.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Review
- Paulownin elicits anti-tumor effects by enhancing NK cell cytotoxicity through JNK pathway activation.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- The Impact of Metformin on Tumor-Infiltrated Immune Cells: Preclinical and Clinical Studies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- BS148 Reduces the Aggressiveness of Metastatic Melanoma via Sigma-2 Receptor Targeting.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- The development and benefits of metformin in various diseases.Frontiers of medicine · 2023Review
- The function, mechanisms, and clinical applications of metformin: potential drug, unlimited potentials.Archives of pharmacal research · 2023Review
- Immune characteristics and genetic markers of esophageal cancer by single-cell analysis: implications for immunotherapy.Journal of thoracic disease · 2023Article
- Research progress on the therapeutic effect and mechanism of metformin for lung cancer (Review).Oncology reports · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Metformin, a drug prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes, has been reported to possess antitumor activity via immunity activation. However, the influence of metformin on natural killer (NK) cells is not fully understood. Here, we investigated whether metformin exerts a potent anticancer effect by activating NK cells. The results showed that sustained exposure to metformin enhances the cytolytic activity of NK-92 cells. Moreover, this enhancement of cytotoxicity by metformin was also observed in NK cells from healthy peripheral blood and cancer patient ascites. Mechanistically, metformin induced activation of the JAK1/2/3/STAT5 and AKT/mTOR pathways in a p38 MAPK-dependent manner rather than an AMPK-dependent manner. In vivo experiments, metformin also improved cancer surveillance of NK cells in mouse models of lymphoma clearance and metastatic melanoma. Additionally, combination treatment with metformin and anti-PD-1 antibodies increased the therapy response rates of B16F10 melanoma. Moreover, metformin treatment increased NK cell and T cell infiltration in tumors. Therefore, these results provide a deeper understanding of metformin on the effector function of NK cells and will contribute to the development and applications of metformin in cancer treatment strategies.
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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.