New publications
Metformin slows the growth of colorectal cancer cells
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Researchers from Flinders University have analysed how anti-diabetic treatments can help control tumour growth, potentially paving the way for more effective cancer treatments.
A new study has investigated what happens when the type 2 diabetes drug metformin is used to treat colon cancer cells, showing that it could be used to develop new cancer treatments. The work is published in the journal Cancers.
Previous epidemiological studies suggest that taking metformin helps protect patients with diabetes from developing some forms of cancer, including colon cancer.
Researchers from Flinders University were looking to understand how taking the drug metformin affects cancer cells and how this could help in future cancer treatments.
"Using cutting-edge techniques, we analysed how metformin helps stop colon cancer cells from growing and multiplying by controlling specific 'pathways' within cells that regulate growth and division," said lead author Dr Ayla Orang, from Flinders University's School of Medicine and School of Public Health.
"Importantly, our work has revealed that metformin uses small pieces of RNA (called microRNAs) to act as a 'switch' and turn off certain genes that are involved in cell growth and division, so our findings could subsequently be used to develop new targeted cancer therapies.
"In particular, we found that metformin increases levels of certain microRNAs, such as miR-2110 and miR-132-3p, which then target specific genes and slow the growth and progression of tumors. With this information, we can develop RNA-based therapies - new cancer treatments that target RNA molecules (such as microRNAs)," she says.
The study, titled "Restricting colon cancer cell metabolism with metformin: An integrated transcriptomic study," used cutting-edge techniques to study microRNAs and the entire gene expression pattern in colon cancer cells to help understand how metformin affects the cells.
Metformin increased the levels of certain microRNAs (miR-2110 and miR-132-3p) targeting a specific gene (PIK3R3).
This process helps slow the growth of cancer cells and prevent them from multiplying too quickly. Another gene (STMN1) was also targeted by various microRNAs, resulting in slower cell growth and delayed cell cycle.
Co-authors of the paper, Senior Associate Professor Michael Michael and Professor Janni Petersen, say the findings are a step forward in our understanding of how metformin disrupts cancer cell growth and how it could be used to fight cancer.
"Our research provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of action of metformin and how we can target the genes responsible for turning normal cells into cancer cells," says Associate Professor Michael.
"This is important because it shows the potential of metformin as a preventative treatment to reduce cancer growth in the colon, and the emergence of RNA therapy as a promising new avenue to explore the clinical utility of these findings. We need to further explore the potential therapeutic benefits of targeting specific microRNAs or pathways using RNA therapy to treat cancer.
"After using metformin to unravel metabolism in cancer cells, the next step in research will be to focus on specific cellular pathways, which should lead to animal studies and then to clinical trials in humans."