I have gone through an interesting study by Heather A, et al. Metformin inhibits the inflammatory response associated with cellular transformation and cancer stem cell growth. Published in Proc Natnl Acad Sci in the Jan 2013 issue. Does anyone have any more information on this? The study mentions the use of cancer stem cells. What about an RCT? Is it underway somewhere?
Thanks. Will look forward to reading your article once it is published.
Could you please let me know which kit you used to assay the hsp70 levels?
Yes, it is true that HSP70 is involved in one of the main mechanisms involved in survival of cancer cells. HSP70 is highly expressed on the plasma membrane of many cancer cell types. Since normal cells do not express HSP70 on the plasma membrane, it can be , in effect , used as a marker for cancer cells. The main mechanism of anticancer effect of metformin that has been cited is that it downregulates UPR (unfolded protein response). Refolding of improperly folded proteins is the job of HSP70. If unfolded proteins are not processed, it is like a death sentence for the cancer cell .Metformin also is known to kill chemotherapy resistant cells.It is not yet clear whether metformin inhibits HSP70 directly. There are various other mechanisms that are also under study. The whole research is fresh and any information, positive or negative, will go a long way.
Metformin is being tried in various cancers in clinical trials currently. However, the results could be anything from inconclusive, to positive or negative.
All things said, research in this topic is an open field teeming with possibilities.
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