Metformin Induces Different Responses in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Caki Cell Lines
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common and lethal form of urological cancer diagnosed globally. Mutations of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor-suppressor gene and the resultant overexpression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α protein are considered hallmarks of ccRCC. Persistently activated HIF-1α is associated with increased cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), consequently leading to ccRCC progression and metastasis to other organs. However, the VHL status alone cannot predict the differential sensitivity of ccRCC to cancer treatments, which suggests that other molecular differences may contribute to the differential response of ccRCC cells to drug therapies. In this study, we investigated the response to metformin (an antidiabetic drug) of two human ccRCC cell lines Caki-1 and Caki-2, which express wild-type VHL. Our findings demonstrate a differential response between the two ccRCC cell lines studied, with Caki-2 cells being more sensitive to metformin compared to Caki-1 cells, which could be linked to the differential expression of HIF-1 despite both cell lines carrying a wild-type VHL. Our study unveils the therapeutic potential of metformin to inhibit the progression of ccRCC in vitro. Additional preclinical and clinical studies are required to ascertain the therapeutic efficacy of metformin against ccRCC.
Other Information
Published in: Biomolecules
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
See article on publisher's website: https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biom9030113
Funding
Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.
History
Language
- English
Publisher
MDPIPublication Year
- 2019
License statement
This Item is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Institution affiliated with
- Qatar University
- Qatar University Health - QU
- College of Pharmacy - QU HEALTH
- Hamad Medical Corporation
- Interim Translational Research Institute - HMC