Evaluation of Cytotoxic Effects of the Combination of Metformin with Docetaxel and 5-Fluorouracil on the Gastric Cancer Cells

In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of the combination of metformin with docetaxel and 5- fluorouracil were studied on AGS gastric cancer cell line.

In this experimental study, the cells were exposed to different concentrations of metformin (1-80 mM), docetaxel (0.6-22.5 ng/ml), 5-fluorouracil (0.045-12 μg/ml), and combination of them. The cell proliferation was evaluated using MTT assay, and the cell apoptosis was evaluated by acridine orange/ethidium bromide assay.

Metformin, docetaxel, and 5-fluorouracil inhibited cell viability of AGS gastric cancer cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50</sub>) values were decreased after treatment with metformin/docetaxel and metformin/5-fluorouracil (P < 0.050). Moreover, the combination treatments significantly increased apoptosis of gastric cancer cells (P < 0.050).

Our results showed that the combination of metformin with docetaxel and 5-fluorouracil could be effective in the treatment of patients with gastric cancer.