Background: Metformin, an antidiabetic drug, has been previously reported to have anti-cancer activities. However, its role in the control of cancer cell migration remains elusive.
Methods: To examine the possible effect of metformin on migration of cervical cancer cells. The related mechanisms were further determined by immunocytochemistry and Western's blotting assay.
Results: The results showed that metformin treatment substantially inhibited the migration ability of cervical cancer cells. Consistently, the filopodia and lamellipodia formation were depleted after exposure to metformin. The suppression of migration mediated through the regulatory proteins such as focal adhesion kinase (FAK), ATP-dependent tyrosine kinase (Akt), Rac1 and RhoA after metformin treatment.
Conclusion: Metformin displays antimigration effects in cervical cancer cells by inhibiting filopodia and lamellipodia formation through the suppression of FAK, Akt and its downstream Rac1 and RhoA protein. We propose that metformin could be a novel potential candidate as an antimetastatic cancer drug in the cervical cancer management.
Keywords: HeLa; Lamellipodia; Rac1; RhoA; filopodia.