Metformin - Vitamin D3- and Prostate Cancer

[gusgold]

Metformin and Vitamin D3 have a synergistic effect on PCa.

Gus

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/259...

[Sisira]

Thanks.

This is a very useful information for all of us.

These are not drugs used for cancer treatment and thus many including doctors don't pay any attention at least to check the Vitamin D3 ( 25 Hydroxy Colecalciferol ) levels of those who have been diagnosed for PCa. Ideally it should be maintained in the region of 50 - 80ng/mL. This test is expensive and I am not quite sure whether you have to pay for it privately. In case of deficiency, supplementation cost is extremely cheap. Vitamin D3 is considered as a silver bullet which can even go to the extent of repairing damaged DNA of the cancer cells and cause apoptosis.I do this test every 6 months.

PCa at CRPC stage may start using IGF ( Insulin like growth factors ) for their proliferation and high doses of Metformin could possibly inhibit this process.

Yes I think the combination can be really synergetic in the inhibition of PCa cell proliferation.

Sisira

[Hidden]

It seems to be saying something more than "two glasses of water is better than either glass alone", but I am not sure what that "more" is, and I am not sure why they think it. They hardly gave a clue in this article.

[Sisira]

Martin

All the time I am haunted with the question what protocols could be used to treat androgen- independent PCa?

Do you have any idea as to what "DU 145 cells"are ?

Conclusion of this article : Metformin and Vitamin D3 synergisticaly inhibit DU 145 cell growth, indicating a promising clinical therapeutic strategy for the treatment of androgen-independent prostate cancer ( I hope they don't mean castration-resistant PCa ).

Sisira

[pjoshea13 in reply to Sisira]

Sisira,

The common PCa cell lines should not be thought of as being necessarily representative of our own cells. They have different properties, so are convenient for researchers who need those properties.

DU 145 cells were harvested from a brain tumor:

"It is hormone independent and does not express androgen receptor (AR) mRNA/protein or PSA "

PC-3 cells were harvested from a bone tumor:

Similar properties to DU 145.

LNCaP cells were harvested from a lymph node tumor:

It "is androgen responsive with AR and PSA mRNA/protein expression."

...

"androgen-independent" does mean "castration-resistant"

-Patrick

[Hidden]

In vitro. Lots of stuff works in the test tube. Although I don't think will hurt to try it

[Sisira]

Patrick

This is all cancer biology.

Your explanation is so clear and I could grasp the meaning without any difficulty even though I am a layman.

Earlier I knew PCa is heterogeneous and the presence of two main types of cells - hormone sensitive ( androgen dependent ) and hormone insensitive ( androgen independent ). This has certainly added to my knowledge.

Thanks a lot.

Sisira