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Review
. 2021 Feb 2:11:586760.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.586760. eCollection 2020.

Pleiotropic Effects of Metformin on the Antitumor Efficiency of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Wenhui Liu  1   2 , Ying Wang  1   2 , Jianquan Luo  1   2 , Mouze Liu  1   2 , Zhiying Luo  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Pleiotropic Effects of Metformin on the Antitumor Efficiency of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Wenhui Liu et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

Cancer is an important threat to public health because of its high morbidity and mortality. In recent decades, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have ushered a new therapeutic era in clinical oncology. The rapid development of immune checkpoint therapy is due to its inspiring clinical efficacy in a group of cancer types. Metformin, an effective agent for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), has shown beneficial effects on cancer prevention and cancer treatment. Emerging studies have suggested that metformin in combination with ICI treatment could improve the anticancer effects of ICIs. Hence, we conducted a review to summarize the effects of metformin on ICI therapy. We also review the pleiotropic mechanisms of metformin combined with ICIs in cancer therapy, including its direct and indirect effects on the host immune system.

Keywords: PD-1; PD-L1; gut microbiome; immune check inhibitors; metformin; pleiotropic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Beneficial effects of metformin on anti-tumor immunity.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Processes of T-cell exhaustion and metabolic reprogramming.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The direct and indirect anti-tumor effects of metformin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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