ArticleMedical oncology (Northwood, London, England)2022
Metformin inhibits the development and metastasis of colorectal cancer.
Article in Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Deciphering the Anti-Tumor Mechanisms of Metformin Through Reprogramming of the Tumor Microenvironment.Cells · 2026Review
- Fermented NaDES-Ginger Extract Attenuates Hyperglycemia-Driven Inflammation and Endothelial Adhesion in Colorectal Cancer Through the NF-κB/COX-2 Axis.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Metformin in gastrointestinal cancers and inflammatory bowel disease: Unraveling its mechanisms and therapeutic applications.iScience · 2026Review
- Pharmacological mechanisms and clinical impacts of antidiabetic drugs on colorectal cancer risk: a systematic review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- mTORC1 inhibition by metformin synergizes with dendrosomal nano-curcumin to induce apoptosis via modulation of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins in breast cancer cells.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2025Article
- The Heterogeneous Interplay Between Metabolism and Mitochondrial Activity in Colorectal Cancer.Journal of personalized medicine · 2025Article
- Metformin's multifaceted role in colorectal cancer: mechanisms of action and synergy with standard treatments.Discover oncology · 2025Review
- Chemoprevention of Colorectal Cancer-With Emphasis on Low-Dose Aspirin and Anticoagulants.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Metformin modulates FJX1 via upregulation of Hsa-miR-1306-3p to suppress colon adenocarcinoma viability.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Metformin: From Diabetes to Cancer-Unveiling Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies.Biology · 2024Review
- Review
- Effect of hyperglycemia on the occurrence and prognosis of colorectal cancer.American journal of translational research · 2024Review
- The Roles of Caloric Restriction Mimetics in Central Nervous System Demyelination and Remyelination.Current issues in molecular biology · 2023Review
- Association between diabetes and cancer. Current mechanistic insights into the association and future challenges.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2023Review
- Article
- The Effect of Metformin Usage in Patients With Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Receiving First-line Systemic Therapy.In vivo (Athens, Greece)Article
- Adenosine Receptor A2B Antagonist Inhibits the Metastasis of Gastric Cancer Cells and Enhances the Efficacy of Cisplatin.Technology in cancer research & treatmentArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Metformin is a commonly used drug for the treatment of diabetes. Accumulating evidence suggests that it exerts anti-cancer effects in many cancers, including colorectal cancer. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of colorectal cancer metastasis remain unclear. Colorectal cancer cell lines were treated with metformin, and cell proliferation, invasion, and migration were analyzed in vitro. The relationship between metformin and the AMPK-mTOR axis was assessed by Western blot analysis and transfection with small interfering RNA. A colorectal cancer xenograft mouse model was used to observe the effects of metformin on liver metastasis. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed on liver metastatic tumors. In in vitro experiments, metformin significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion only in HCT116 and SW837 cells, but not in HCT8 and Lovo cells. Only in HCT116 and SW837, a change in AMPK-mTOR expression was observed in a dose-dependent manner. In colorectal cancer xenograft mice, the liver metastatic rate (10% vs. 50%, p = 0.05) and the number of liver metastatic nodules (0.1/body vs. 1.2/body, p = 0.04) were significantly lower in the metformin group. Tumor proliferation and EMT were decreased and apoptosis was promoted only in metastatic liver tumors of mice treated with metformin. The molecular mechanism of the anti-cancer effects of metformin involves repression of mTOR pathways via AMPK activation. Moreover, the differences in metformin sensitivity depend on the response of the AMPK-mTOR pathway to metformin. Our study provides a theoretical basis for the anti-metastatic treatment of colorectal cancer using metformin.
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