Journal
BREAST CANCER RESEARCH AND TREATMENT
Volume 185, Issue 1, Pages 73-84Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10549-020-05927-5
Keywords
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); Metformin; BMS-754807; IGF-1R inhibitor; Insulin receptor inhibitor
Categories
Funding
- Susan G. Komen Foundation [CCR13263802]
- National Institutes of Health [R01CA204926, P50CA186784]
- Cancer Prevention AMP
- Research Institute of Texas Proteomics AMP
- Metabolomics Core Facility Support Award [RP170005]
- NCI Cancer Center Support Grant [P30CA125123]
- Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) [201406860002]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Combining metformin and BMS-754807 was shown to be more effective in inhibiting cell proliferation in the majority of TNBC cell lines, with a potential mechanism being the suppression of SCF(Skp2) and subsequent stabilization of the cell cycle inhibitor p27(Kip1).
Purpose Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with poor survival outcomes. Metformin has been shown to have antitumor effects by lowering serum levels of the mitogen insulin and having pleiotropic effects on cancer cell signaling pathways. BMS-754807 is a potent and reversible inhibitor of both insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and insulin receptor (IR). Both drugs have been reported to have some efficacy in TNBC. However, it is unclear whether the combination of the two drugs is more effective than single drug treatment in TNBC. Methods We treated a panel of TNBC cell lines with metformin and BMS-754807 alone and in combination and tested cell viability using MTS assays. We used theCompuSynsoftware to analyze for additivity, synergism, or antagonism. We also examined the molecular mechanism by performing reverse phase protein assay (RPPA) to detect the candidate pathways altered by single drugs and the drug combination and used Western blotting to verify and expand the findings. Results The combination of metformin and BMS-754807 showed synergy in 11 out of 13 TNBC cell lines tested (85%). RPPA analysis detected significant alterations by the drug combination of multiple proteins known to regulate cell cycle and tumor growth. In particular, the drug combination significantly increased levels of total and phosphorylated forms of the cell cycle inhibitor p27(Kip1)and decreased the level of the p27(Kip1)E3 ligase SCFSkp2. Conclusions We conclude that the combination of metformin and BMS-754807 is more effective than either drug alone in inhibiting cell proliferation in the majority of TNBC cell lines, and that one important mechanism may be suppression of SCF(Skp2)and subsequent stabilization of the cell cycle inhibitor p27(Kip1). This combination treatment may represent an effective targeted therapy for a significant subset of TNBC cases and should be further evaluated.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available