Metformin Restricts Spread Of Benign Prostatic Epithelial Cells- Dr. David Samadi
March 8, 2017
NEW YORK, NEW YORK (PRWEB) MARCH 08, 2017
A recent study published in the online publication of PLoS One found that the diabetes drug metformin controls the spread of benign prostatic epithelial cells by suppressing the expression of IGF-1R and IGF-1 secretion. This finding could have significant clinical implications in managing patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with the drug metformin.
Metformin is an oral diabetes medication that helps control blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. BPH is the most common condition affecting the prostate gland and is common in older men. About half of all men between the ages of 51 and 60 have BPH with up to 90% of all men over the age of 80 having it. BPH is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland that can press down on the urethra and is associated with issues such as inability to completely empty the bladder, dribbling, or frequent nighttime urination. Even though BPH is not cancer, BPH and prostate cancer can occur at the same time.
“It has been known for a while that there is a link between men with elevated insulin levels and having a greater likelihood of BPH,” said Dr. David Samadi. “We know that insulin resistance can affect the growth and regulation of gene expression and BPH. The reason for the association between hyperinsulinemia and BPH involves two insulin-like growth factors, IGF-1 and IGF-2.”
In this current study, it has been shown through previous studies that diabetes significantly increases a man’s risk of developing BPH. But it was not known whether anti-diabetic medications were useful in preventing this development. From past studies, it had been found that stromally expressed IGF-1 promoted benign prostatic epithelial cells to proliferate.
...“This study found that when metformin was used for 24 hours it lowered the G2/M cell population by 43.24% in P69 and 24.22% in BPH-1 cells. What was also interesting that was found was that IGF-1 increased the number of G2/M cells in P69 cells and in BPH-1 cells thus enhancing IGF-1 in benign prostatic epithelial cells,” explained Dr. Samadi. “But the important thing is that metformin stopped the spread of the cells by inhibiting IGF-1.” ...
Metformin Restricts Spread Of Benign Prostatic Epithelial Cells- Dr. David Samadi
I have read that metformin can reduce PSA levels by 8-35% or an average of 34% in diabetic men, and metformin reduced PSA independently of being a diabetic.
(I don't believe metformin is well studied in men without diabetes. )