Evaluating synergistic effects of metformin and simvastatin on ovarian cancer cells

Abstract

Background: Ovarian Cancer (OC) stands as the most lethal gynecological malignancy, presenting an urgent clinical challenge in the quest to improve response rates. One approach to address this challenge is through drug repurposing, exemplified by the investigation of metabolic-modulating drugs such as Metformin (MTF) and Simvastatin (SIM). This study aims to explore the molecular mechanisms contributing to the potential synergistic anti-cancer effects between MTF and SIM on ovarian cancer cells.

Methods: We assessed the effects of the combination on the proliferation and viability of two cell lines OVCAR-3 and SKOV-3. IC50 concentrations of MTF and SIM were determined using a proliferation assay, followed by subtoxic concentrations to explore the potential synergistic effects on the viability of both cell lines. Transcriptomic analysis was conducted on OVCAR-3 treated cells, and the findings were validated by assessing the expression levels of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) through real-time PCR in both cell lines SK-OV-3 and OVCAR-3.

Results: Cytotoxicity analysis guided the selection of treatment concentrations as such MTF 10 mM and SIM 5 μM. The combined treatment of MTF and SIM demonstrated a synergistic inhibition of proliferation and viability in both cell lines. In OVCAR-3, exclusive identification of 507 DEGs was seen in the combination arm. Upregulation of FOXO3, RhoA, and TNFα, along with downregulation of PIK3R1, SKP2, and ATP6V1D levels, was observed in OVCAR-3 treated cells. Real-time PCR validation confirmed the consistency of expression levels for the mentioned DEGs.

Conclusion: Our data strongly supports the presence of synergy between MTF and SIM in OC cells. The combination's effect is associated with the dysregulation of genes in the key regulators AMPK and mTOR alongside other interconnected pathways.