Metabolic Assessment of Metformin Treatment in Colon Cancer Cells

Abstract

Resistance against traditional chemotherapy is a challenge in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). The use of metformin, a commonly prescribed biguanide anti-diabetic drug, has shown to correlate with cancer preventive and antineoplastic effects in CRC. By targeting the mitochondria of cancer cells, metformin may be able to prevent cancer relapse caused by cells resistant to standard chemotherapy termed stem-like cancer cells (CSCs). The aim of this project was therefore to assess the growth inhibitory effects and metabolic changes in a colon cancer cell model with a glycolytic phenotype. The results indicate that metformin was able to moderately affect the metabolic homeostasis and cause a slight growth reduction in these cell lines, which was most prominent when grown in cell medium containing physiological levels of glucose. These effects were seen using metformin dosage within the therapeutic approved range and indicate that metformin could be an interesting adjuvant drug to be utilized in CRC treatment.