title: Reprogramming ovarian and breast cancer cells into non-cancerous cells by low-dose metformin or SN-38 through FOXO3 activation.
abstract: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Because the cytotoxic effects of conventional chemotherapies often harm normal tissue cells along with cancer cells, conventional chemotherapies cause many unwanted or intolerable side effects. Thus, there is an unmet medical need to establish a paradigm of chemotherapy-induced differentiation of cancer cells with tolerable side effects. Here we show that low-dose metformin or SN-38 inhibits cell growth or survival in ovarian and breast cancer cells and suppresses their tumor growth in vivo. Low-dose metformin or SN-38 increases FOXO3 nuclear localization as well as the amount of DNA damage markers and downregulates the expression of a cancer-stemness marker CD44 and other stemness markers, including Nanog, Oct-4, and c-Myc, in these cancer cells. This treatment also inhibits spheroid body-formation in 3-dimensional culture. In contrast, silencing FOXO3 diminishes all these cellular events when ovarian/breast cancer cells are treated with the mentioned drugs. These results suggest that low-dose metformin or SN-38 may reprogram these cancer cells into non-cancerous cells in a FOXO3-dependent manner, and may allow patients to overcome these cancers with minimal side effects.
authors: 1] Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA [2].
authors: Theodore
authors: T
authors: Hu
authors: 1] Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA [2].
authors: Young Min
authors: YM
authors: Chung
authors: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: Guan
authors: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Ma
authors: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: Ma
authors: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors: Jonathan S
authors: JS
authors: Berek
authors: Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors: Mickey C-T
authors: MC
authors: Hu
mesh_terms: D021581:Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004249:DNA Damage; D005260:Female; D000071316:Forkhead Box Protein O3; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D000077146:Irinotecan; D008687:Metformin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008819:Mice, Nude; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D047368:Tumor Burden / Q000187:drug effects; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; C499517:FOXO3 protein, human; D000071316:Forkhead Box Protein O3; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C468783:H2AX protein, human; D006657:Histones; D000077146:Irinotecan; D008687:Metformin; D002166:Camptothecin