Abstract
Metformin is a first-line drug in the fight against type 2 diabetes. In recent years, studies have shown that metformin has some preventive and therapeutic effects on liver cancer, but the effects of metformin on the gene expression of liver cancer cells are not fully known. This study focused on the differences in the gene expression profiles in liver cancer cells treated with or without metformin. A total of 153 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (FC > 2 and q-values < 0.001) were found, including 77 upregulated genes and 76 downregulated genes. These DEGs are involved in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), and leukocyte transendothelial migration signaling pathways. These findings reveal the effects of metformin treatment on gene expression profiles in liver cancer cells and provide new clues for unveiling the mechanism of the antitumor effects of metformin.
Highlights
In recent years, the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been increasing, seriously threatening human health (Gerbes et al, 2018)
Transcriptome alterations after metformin treatment In this study, 153 differentially expressed genes (FC > 2, q-values < 0.001) were observed in HepG2 cells treated with metformin
Seventy-seven upregulated genes and 76 downregulated genes in HepG2 cells treated with metformin were detected (Fig. 1)
Summary
The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been increasing, seriously threatening human health (Gerbes et al, 2018). Surgical treatment is still the main treatment of HCC. Most HCC patients have reached an advanced stage when they are diagnosed, and their 5-year survival rate is low (Ikeda et al, 2018). Most patients with advanced HCC choose nonsurgical treatment. Drug therapy is an important means of nonsurgical treatment for HCC. The current chemotherapeutic drugs do not achieve optimal effects. They can cause serious toxicity and side effects and trigger the cancer cells to develop drug resistance (Raoul et al, 2018). There is a need to find effective and safe chemotherapeutic drugs for HCC treatment and prevention
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