Metformin exerts antitumor activity via induction of multiple death pathways in tumor cells and activation of a protective immune response.

ABSTRACT: The antitumor effect of metformin has been demonstrated in several types of cancer; however, the mechanisms involved are incompletely understood. In this study, we showed that metformin acts directly on melanoma cells as well as on the tumor microenvironment, particularly in the context of the immune response. In vitro, metformin induces a complex interplay between apoptosis and autophagy in melanoma cells. The anti-metastatic activity of metformin in vivo was assessed in several mouse models challenged with B16F10 cells. Metformin's activity was, in part, immune system-dependent, whereas its antitumor properties were abrogated in immunodeficient (NSG) mice. Metformin treatment increased the number of lung CD8-effector-memory T and CD4⁺Foxp3⁺IL-10^+<

SUBMITTER: Pereira FV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5995253 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature