Metformin for Prevention and Treatment of Colon Cancer: A Reappraisal of Experimental and Clinical Data.

Abstract

In the 70-80th of last century, it has been shown that the antidiabetic biguanide drugs phenformin (PF) and buformin (BF) can exert an inhibitory action on carcinogenesis in animal models and increase from 5 to 10-years survival of cancer patients. Since 2005, after first evidence publication of the capacity of metformin (MF), another biguanide, to prevent development of malignant tumors in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and suppress tumorigenesis in mice, the burst of studies started in this field focused on breast, pancreas, prostatic, endometrial and some other cancers. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most prevalent among digestive system cancers. In this mini-review are presented the available data on the capacity of antidiabetic biguanide drugs to prevent colorectal carcinogenesis and growth in vitro and in vivo in experimental models and clinical observations.

• Authors: Vladimir N Anisimov
• Journal: Current drug targets (Curr Drug Targets) Vol. 17 Issue 4 Pg. 439-46 ( 2016) ISSN: 1873-5592 [Electronic] United Arab Emirates
• PMID: 25738299 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)

Chemical References

• Hypoglycemic Agents
• Metformin

Topics

• Animals
• Cell Proliferation (drug effects)
• Colonic Neoplasms (drug therapy, prevention & control)
• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 (drug therapy)
• Drug Repositioning
• Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
• Humans
• Hypoglycemic Agents (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Metformin (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Mice
• Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays