Researchers have discovered that metformin, a commonly prescribed diabetes drug, slows down the growth of cancer cells lacking p53, a key regulatory gene that regulates cell division and several metabolic pathways in cells.

The researchers found that metformin instructs cells to switch metabolic pathways. Instead of using the most energy efficient pathway - called oxidative phosphorylation - the cells are forced to use stress-related ones, which are typically used when the cell is short on oxygen, glucose or other nutrient sources. But in the absence of p53, the cells can't make the switch. "Without p53, if we force cells to live on alternative substrates, they can't do it," explains Thompson.

As p53 is lacking in more than 50% of all human cancers, metformin seems to be a promising drug for use in cancer therapy, also considering that the drug is already approved as a therapeutic for human use. The results of the study has been published in Cancer Research.

Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine