(Press-News.org) EAST LANSING, Mich. — An inexpensive drug that treats Type-2 diabetes has been shown to prevent a number of natural and man-made chemicals from stimulating the growth of breast cancer cells, according to a newly published study by a Michigan State University researcher.
The research, led by pediatrics professor James Trosko and colleagues from South Korea's Seoul National University, provides biological evidence for previously reported epidemiological surveys that long-term use of the drug metformin for Type-2 diabetes reduces the risk of diabetes-associated cancers, such as breast cancers.
The research appears in the current edition of PLoS One.
"People with Type-2 diabetes are known to be at high risk for several diabetes-associated cancers, such as breast, liver and pancreatic cancers," said Trosko, a professor in the College of Human Medicine's Department of Pediatrics and Human Development. "While metformin has been shown in population studies to reduce the risk of these cancers, there was no evidence of how it worked."
For the study, Trosko and colleagues focused on the concept that cancers originate from adult human stem cells and that there are many natural and man-made chemicals that enhance the growth of breast cancer cells.
Using culture dishes, they grew miniature human breast tumors, or mammospheres, that activated a certain stem cell gene (Oct4A). Then the mammospheres were exposed to natural estrogen – a known growth factor and potential breast tumor promoter – and man-made chemicals that are known to promote tumors or disrupt the endocrine system.
The team found that estrogen and the chemicals caused the mammospheres to increase in numbers and size. However, with metformin added, the numbers and size of the mammospheres were dramatically reduced. While each of the chemicals enhanced growth by different means, metformin seemed to be able to inhibit their stimulated growth in all cases.
"While future studies are needed to understand the exact mechanism by which metformin works to reduce the growth of breast cancers, this study reveals the need to determine if the drug might be used as a preventive drug and for individuals who have no indication of any existing cancers," he said.
"Though we still do not know the exact molecular mechanism by which it works, metformin seems to dramatically affect how estrogen and endocrine-disrupting chemicals cause the pre-existing breast cancers to grow."
In addition, further research needs to be done with human cultures to see if metformin can reduce the risk of pancreatic and liver cancers in Type-2 diabetics as well, he said.
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Michigan State University has been working to advance the common good in uncommon ways for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU focuses its vast resources on creating solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
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JUPITER, FL, November 23, 2011 – Against the backdrop of the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have made an important new discovery regarding a specific gene that plays an important role in keeping a steady balance between our food intake and energy expenditure. The study may help scientists better understand the keys to fighting obesity and related disorders such as diabetes.
The study, which was published in the November 25, 2011 print edition of The Journal of Biological Chemistry, ...
Door2Tour.com, the website tour consolidator, has announced that its tour packages to watch Andre Rieu in concert are incredibly popular among the site's customers. Even though Andre Rieu will not be touring the UK until December 2012, the demand for tickets to see him perform is higher than any other product available on the Door2Tour.com website.
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In addition to great variable rates, HSBC continues to offer two-year and five-year fixed rates at 85% and 90% LTV fee-free.
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Because that's the color female guppies prefer.
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A report on the study was published online last week in BMJ, the British medical journal.
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Collaborations between Johns Hopkins and National Taiwan University researchers have successfully manipulated the life span of common, single-celled yeast organisms by figuring out how to remove and restore protein functions related to yeast aging.
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The internet today is rife with all kinds of gaming sites, which includes poker sites as well. For the person who wants to play online poker, there are hundreds of poker sites to choose them. Yet you must be sure that you choose a reliable one. With all poker sites making a lot of tall claims, choosing the right one is indeed a tricky affair. PlayPokerOnline.com tells you some of the ways by which you can make sure if a poker site is trustworthy or not.
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Participants of the HCG Diet have long suffered from dry, chapped lips during the month they are on the HCG Diet. Use of normal lip balm, lotions, or other moisturizers is prohibited while on the HCG Diet because they can severely hinder weight loss, according to Dr. A. T. W. Simeons who created the diet.
The reasons why traditional personal care products cannot be used during the month the participant is on the HCG Diet are explained in Dr. Simeons' manuscript, Pounds and Inches Away: A New Approach to Obesity (available for free download at www.diyhcg.com). He states ...
