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Erschienen in: Tumor Biology 8/2015

01.08.2015 | Research Article

Metformin inhibits thyroid cancer cell growth, migration, and EMT through the mTOR pathway

verfasst von: Baiyu Han, Hanzhi Cui, Lei Kang, Xuelin Zhang, Zhitao Jin, Lanmin Lu, Zhongyi Fan

Erschienen in: Tumor Biology | Ausgabe 8/2015

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Abstract

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways have been shown to be activated in thyroid cancer. Recent evidences have demonstrated that the antidiabetic agent metformin, an activator of 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase, can impair the proliferation and migration of cancer cells via inhibition of mTOR. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we show that metformin can inhibit mTOR pathway to impair growth and migration of the thyroid cancer cell lines. Cyclin D1 and c-Myc are important regulators of cancer cell growth, and we observed that treatment of thyroid cancer cells with metformin reduced c-Myc and cyclin D1 expression through suppression of mTOR and subsequent inhibition of P70S6K1 and 4E-BP1 phosphorylation. Metformin reduced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in thyroid carcinoma cells. Moreover, metformin regulated expression of the EMT-related markers E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Snail. Additionally, knockdown of TSC2, the upstream regulatory molecule of mTOR pathway, or treatment of rapamycin, the mTOR inhibitor, could abolish the effects of metformin to regulate thyroid cancer cell proliferation, migration, EMT, and mTOR pathway molecules. These results indicate that metformin can suppress the proliferation, migration, and EMT of thyroid cancer cell lines by inhibiting mTOR signaling. These findings suggest that metformin and its molecular targets may be useful in thyroid carcinoma therapy.
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Metadaten
Titel
Metformin inhibits thyroid cancer cell growth, migration, and EMT through the mTOR pathway
verfasst von
Baiyu Han
Hanzhi Cui
Lei Kang
Xuelin Zhang
Zhitao Jin
Lanmin Lu
Zhongyi Fan
Publikationsdatum
01.08.2015
Verlag
Springer Netherlands
Erschienen in
Tumor Biology / Ausgabe 8/2015
Print ISSN: 1010-4283
Elektronische ISSN: 1423-0380
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-015-3315-4

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