Metformin, a drug commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, shows potential in the prevention of tobacco-induced lung tumors, according to early research conducted at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Metformin significantly decreased lung tumor burden in mice exposed to a nicotine-derived nitrosamine called NNK, which is the most prevalent carcinogen in tobacco. Metformin has been previously shown to activate an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase that is known to inhibit mTOR, a protein that regulates cell growth and survival in tobacco carcinogen-induced lung tumors.
Researchers, led by Philip Dennis, M.D., Ph.D., a senior investigator at the NCI, treated the mice with metformin either orally or by injection. Those treated orally had between 40 and 50 percent fewer tumors, while those mice treated with injection had 72 percent fewer tumors.
Based on these findings, clinical trials of metformin are being considered to determine if this compound could be used as an effective chemoprevention agent for smokers at high risk of developing lung cancer.
"Although smoking cessation is the most important step for current smokers, over half of lung cancer cases are diagnosed in former smokers, raising the importance of identifying those at highest risk and identifying effective preventive treatments," said Dennis.
Metformin significantly decreased lung tumor burden in mice exposed to a nicotine-derived nitrosamine called NNK, which is the most prevalent carcinogen in tobacco. Metformin has been previously shown to activate an enzyme called AMP-activated protein kinase that is known to inhibit mTOR, a protein that regulates cell growth and survival in tobacco carcinogen-induced lung tumors.
Researchers, led by Philip Dennis, M.D., Ph.D., a senior investigator at the NCI, treated the mice with metformin either orally or by injection. Those treated orally had between 40 and 50 percent fewer tumors, while those mice treated with injection had 72 percent fewer tumors.
Based on these findings, clinical trials of metformin are being considered to determine if this compound could be used as an effective chemoprevention agent for smokers at high risk of developing lung cancer.
"Although smoking cessation is the most important step for current smokers, over half of lung cancer cases are diagnosed in former smokers, raising the importance of identifying those at highest risk and identifying effective preventive treatments," said Dennis.
Source: American Association for Cancer Research
Metformin is sold under several trade names including Glucophage XR, Riomet, Fortamet, Glumetza, Obimet, Dianben, Diabex, and Diaformin.
Wikipedia reports on the herbal medical background to this drug:
Galega officinalis has been known since the Middle Ages for relieving the symptoms of diabetes mellitus. Upon analysis, it turned out to contain compounds related to guanidine, a substance that decreases blood sugar by mechanisms including a decrease in insulin resistance, but were too toxic for human use. Georges Tanret identified an alkaloid from this plant (galegine) that was less toxic, and this was evaluated in clinical trials in patients with diabetes in the 1920s and 1930s [2][3].
Other related compounds were being investigated clinically at this time, including biguanide derivatives. This work led ultimately to the discovery of metformin (Glucophage), currently recommended in international guidelines for diabetes management as the first choice for antidiabetic pharmacotherapy alongside diet and exercise
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