Phenformin Inhibits the Proliferation of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Aim: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. This disease is a critical public health problem and further research at the molecular level would define its prognosis and specific treatment. Phenformin is an antidiabetic agent. Recent studies showed that it should be considered as a potential agent for the prevention and treatment of cancer cell lines. This study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative effect of phenformin on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines were used in the study. Experimental groups; control group, 1 µM, 2.5 µM, and 5 µM phenformin administered groups were planned. WST-1 analysis was performed to evaluate the viability of cells 24 h after the treatments. Statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS 17.0 statistical program. p<0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference.Results: In the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line, there were statistically significant differences among all groups (p<0.05, for all), except between the 1 µM phenformin-treated and control groups (p>0.05). In the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line; there were statistically significant differences between the control group and 5 µM phenformin-treated, and between 1 µM phenformin-treated and 5 µM phenformin-treated (p<0.05, for all) groups. Conclusion: Phenformin seems to exert antiproliferative effects on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. It was observed that the antiproliferative effect was stronger in the MDA-MB-231 cell line. It showed a stronger antiproliferative effect in the MDA-MB-231 cell line of antiproliferative effect.