title: Growth inhibition of colon cancer cells by compounds affecting AMPK activity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if other molecules reported to modulate AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK) activity would have effects resembling those of metformin and phenformin on colon cancer cell proliferation and metabolism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies were performed with four human colon cancer cell lines, Caco-2, HCT116, HT29 and SW1116. The compounds that were studied included A-769662, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-ribofuranoside, butyrate, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), KU-55933, quercetin, resveratrol and salicylates. The parameters that were measured were cell proliferation and viability, glucose uptake, lactate production and acidification of the incubation medium.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Investigations with several molecules that have been reported to be associated with AMPK activation (A-769662, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-b-D-ribofuranoside, EGCG, KU-55933, quercetin, resveratrol and salicylates) or AMPK inhibition (compound C) failed to reveal increased medium acidification and increased glucose uptake in colon cancer cells as previously established with metformin and phenformin. The only exception was 5-aminosalicylic acid with which there were apparently lower glucose levels in the medium after incubation for 72 h. Further study in the absence of cells revealed that the effect was an artifact due to inhibition of the enzyme-linked glucose assay. The compounds were studied at concentrations that inhibited cell proliferation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was concluded that treatment with several agents that can affect AMPK activity resulted in the inhibition of the proliferation of colon cancer cells under conditions in which glucose metabolism is not enhanced, in contrast to the effect of biguanides.
authors.affiliation: Michael A Lea, Jacob Pourat, Rupali Patel, Charles desBordes, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, United States.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lea
authors.affiliation: Michael A Lea, Jacob Pourat, Rupali Patel, Charles desBordes, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, United States.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pourat
authors.affiliation: Michael A Lea, Jacob Pourat, Rupali Patel, Charles desBordes, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, United States.
authors.forename: Rupali
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Michael A Lea, Jacob Pourat, Rupali Patel, Charles desBordes, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07103, United States.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: desBordes
keywords: AMP-dependent protein kinase; Colon cancer cells; Glucose metabolism; Proliferation