Therapeutic role of metformin and troglitazone to prevent cancer risk in diabetic patients: evidences from experimental studies

Abstract

Abstract Objectives It is evident from literature that individual with diabetes mellitus is more prone to develop cancer as compared to non-diabetic one. We aimed to highlight the risk factors that trigger the tumor formation in diabetic individuals and collect evidences regarding the preventive role of anti-diabetics in cancer. Content A comprehensive literature was searched in English language using electronic databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect, Medline, Scopus and Embase. Summary and outlook Antidiabetic drugs notably metformin and troglitazone, exhibit anticancer effects. Metformin targets energy sensor pathway i. e., AMPK/mTOR which is controlled by LKB1. Whereas. troglitazone activates PPARϒ that modulate the transcription of insulin responsive gene which is essential for lipid and glucose metabolism. Adipocytes are highly expressed with PPARɣ which induce differentiation and regulate adipogenesis. Ligand-driven expression of PPARɣ in myoblast and fibroblast cell lines produces adipocyte differentiation in breast cancer. Prostate cancer that expresses PPARɣ may be suppressed by troglitazone and retinoid which inhibit their proliferation and initiate differentiation. The findings summarized here show that metformin and troglitazone may have the ability to inhibit the cancer cell proliferation via involvement of molecular pathways. This therapeutic intervention will help to control the progression of cancer in diabetic patients.