Effect of metformin on the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and autophagy of ovarian cancer cells

Zou,Ge; Bai,Jie; Li,Dandan; Chen,Yan

doi:10.3892/etm.2019.7803

Effect of metformin on the proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and autophagy of ovarian cancer cells

Authors:
- Ge Zou
- Jie Bai
- Dandan Li
- Yan Chen
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Affiliations: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
Published online on: July 24, 2019 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2019.7803
Pages: 2086-2094
Copyright: © Zou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

The present study evaluated the effect of metformin on the SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line and investigated the underlying mechanism. The inhibitory rate of SKOV3 cells was analyzed by MTT assay. SKOV3 cell apoptosis rate was quantitatively measured using flow cytometry. The effect of metformin on intracellular autophagosomes was observed using electron microscopy. The migration and invasion capabilities of SKOV3 cells were assessed by cell scratch test and Transwell assay. Results demonstrated that. the proliferation rate of SKOV3 cells was significantly inhibited in a time‑ and concentration‑dependent manner following treatment with different concentrations of metformin for 24, 48 and 72 h. The number of migratory cells significantly decreased with increasing concentrations of metformin. The administration of metformin also promoted autophagy of ovarian cancer The expression level of microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3‑α protein was markedly upregulated. The mRNA expression level of metastasis‑associated 1 (MTA1) was significantly downregulated following metformin treatment. In conclusion, metformin intervention suppressed SKOV3 proliferation and induced apoptosis in a concentration‑dependent manner. Metformin also inhibited the invasion and migration of SKOV3 cells. It was hypothesized that the underlying mechanism of metformin's effect may involve MTA1 downregulation.

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