Anticancer potential of metformin: focusing on gastrointestinal cancers.

Gastrointestinal cancers are one of the most common types of cancer that have high annual mortality; therefore, identification and introduction of safe drugs in the control and prevention of these cancers are of particular importance. Metformin, a lipophilic biguanide, is the most commonly prescribed agent for type 2 diabetes management. In addition to its great effects on lowering the blood glucose concentrations, the anti-cancer properties of this drug have been reported in many types of cancers such as gastrointestinal cancers. Hence the effects of this agent as a safe drug on the reduction of gastrointestinal cancer risk and suppression of these types of cancers have been studied in different clinical trials. Furthermore, the proposed mechanisms of metformin in preventing the growth of these cancers have been investigated in several studies. In this review, we discuss recent advances in elucidating the molecular mechanisms that are relevant for metformin use in gastrointestinal cancer treatment.