Bookshelf

Antidiabetic drugs and their effects on cancer. Metformin can activate AMPK, increase insulin sensitivity, and decrease hepatic glucose production in T2D while it also leads to reduced pancreatic and breast cancer risk, increased survival, and reduced tumor growth together with glutamine metabolism inhibition by BPTES. Polyphenols such as flavonoids regulate glucose metabolism, increase β-cell function, and inhibit mTOR signaling in T2D while they impair signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways, decrease cell proliferation, and increase apoptosis in cancer. Thiazolidinediones such as pioglitazone and troglitazone can activate PPARγ, leading to increased insulin sensitivity in T2D. However, in cancer, while they can lead to decreased cell growth and increased apoptosis in vitro, pioglitazone is associated with increased bladder cancer risk, and troglitazone showed no promising results in patients. Insulin secretagogues can promote insulin secretion in T2D which can potentially help to explain their observed association with increased liver and pancreatic cancer risk through the effects of hyperinsulinemia