title: Anti-diabetic drug metformin: challenges and perspectives for cancer therapy.
abstract: Metformin, a biguanide, is a commonly administered drug for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The drug received tremendous recognition, when retrospective studies proved metformin-associated reduction in cancer risk. Metformin has potential anticancer effects and an ability to suppress tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo. Activation of LKB1/AMPK pathway and cancer stem cell destruction along with cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction are the proposed mechanisms of anticancer potential of metformin. Nanotechnology approaches have also been adopted for metformin delivery to cancer cells. This review directs on the application of metformin for the therapy of various cancers and also the different pathways responsible for the metformin derived anticancer effect. It also focuses on the pharmacological applications of metformin and the nanotechnology approaches for metformin delivery.
authors.forename: Kaniyampadi Sreenivasan
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Snima
authors.forename: Prathesha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pillai
authors.forename: Aleena Mary
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cherian
authors.forename: Shantikumar V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: Amrita Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham University, Kochi 682041, Kerala, India. vinoth.lakshmanan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vinoth-Kumar
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Lakshmanan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008687:Metformin / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D008687:Metformin