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Sundelin EIO, Al-Suliman N, Vahl P, Vendelbo M, Munk OL, Jakobsen S, Pedersen SB, Frøkiær J, Gormsen LC, Jessen N. Metformin is distributed to tumor tissue in breast cancer patients in vivo: A 11C-metformin PET/CT study. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2020; 181:107-113. [PMID: 32240455 DOI: 10.1007/s10549-020-05621-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Epidemiological studies and randomized clinical trials suggest that the antidiabetic drug, metformin, may have anti-neoplastic effects. The mechanism that mediates these beneficial effects has been suggested to involve direct action on cancer cells, but this will require distribution of metformin in tumor tissue. The present study was designed to investigate metformin distribution in vivo in breast and liver tissue in breast cancer patients. METHODS Seven patients recently diagnosed with ductal carcinoma were recruited. Using PET/CT, tissue distribution of metformin was determined in vivo for 90 min after injection of a carbon-11-labeled metformin tracer. After surgery, tumor tissue was investigated for gene expression levels of metformin transporter proteins. RESULTS Tumor tissue displayed a distinct uptake of metformin compared to normal breast tissue AUC0-90 min (75.4 ± 5.5 vs 42.3 ± 6.3) g/ml*min (p = 0.01). Maximal concentration in tumor was at 1 min where it reached approximately 30% of the activity in the liver. The metformin transporter protein with the highest gene expression in tumor tissue was multidrug and toxin extrusion 1 (MATE 1) followed by plasma membrane monoamine transporter (PMAT). CONCLUSION This study confirms that metformin is transported into tumor tissue in women with breast cancer. This finding support that metformin may have direct anti-neoplastic effects on tumor cells in breast cancer patients. However, distribution of metformin in tumor tissue is markedly lower than in liver, an established metformin target tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias Immanuel Ordell Sundelin
- Research Laboratory for Biochemical Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Nidal Al-Suliman
- Department of Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Pernille Vahl
- Department of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mikkel Vendelbo
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ole Lajord Munk
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Steen Jakobsen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Steen Bønløkke Pedersen
- Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
- Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jørgen Frøkiær
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lars C Gormsen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Niels Jessen
- Research Laboratory for Biochemical Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
- Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Hedeager 3 2.sal, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark.
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Sundelin EIO, Gormsen LC, Heebøll S, Vendelbo MH, Jakobsen S, Munk OL, Feddersen S, Brøsen K, Hamilton-Dutoit SJ, Pedersen SB, Grønbaek H, Jessen N. Hepatic exposure of metformin in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2019; 85:1761-1770. [PMID: 30973968 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.13962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Metformin is first-line treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and reduces cardiovascular events in patients with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Target tissue for metformin action is thought to be the liver, where metformin distribution depends on facilitated transport by polyspecific transmembrane organic cation transporters (OCTs). Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the western world with strong associations to insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome, but whether NAFLD affects metformin biodistribution to the liver is not known. In this study, the primary aim was to investigate in vivo hepatic uptake of metformin dynamically in humans with variable degrees of liver affection. As a secondary aim, we wished to correlate hepatic metformin distribution with OCT gene transcription determined in diagnostic liver biopsies. METHODS Eighteen patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD were investigated using 11C-metformin PET/CT technique. Gene transcripts of OCTs were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS We observed similar hepatic volume of distribution of metformin between patients with simple steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (Vd 2.38 ± 0.56 vs. 2.10 ± 0.39, P = 0.3). There was no association between hepatic exposure to metformin and the degree of inflammation or fibrosis, and no clear correlation between metformin distribution and OCT gene transcription. CONCLUSION Metformin is distributed to the liver in patients with NAFLD and the distribution is not impaired by inflammation or fibrosis. The findings imply that metformin action in liver in patients with NAFLD may be preserved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sara Heebøll
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Mikkel Holm Vendelbo
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.,Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Steen Jakobsen
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Ole Lajord Munk
- Department of Nuclear Medicine & PET Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Søren Feddersen
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Kim Brøsen
- Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.,Department of Public Health, Clinical Pharmacology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
| | | | - Steen Bønløkke Pedersen
- Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.,Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Henning Grønbaek
- Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
| | - Niels Jessen
- Research Laboratory for Biochemical Pathology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.,Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Denmark.,Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.,Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
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Breining P, Pedersen SB, Pikelis A, Rolighed L, Sundelin EIO, Jessen N, Richelsen B. High expression of organic cation transporter 3 in human BAT-like adipocytes. Implications for extraneuronal norepinephrine uptake. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2017; 443:15-22. [PMID: 28034777 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2016.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2016] [Revised: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is activated by extracellular norepinephrine (NE) released by the sympathetic nervous system. The extracellular concentration of NE is additionally regulated by the disappearance/degradation of NE. Recent studies have introduced the organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3) as a possible contributor in the regulation of NE in adipose tissue. In the present study we set out to investigate the presence of OCT3 in human neck adipose tissue (AT), which is the primary localization of BAT in humans. Moreover, we wanted to assess the possible function and correlation of the transporter with known markers of thermogenic function, e.g. UCP1. When examining neck AT biopsies from 57 individuals we found that OCT3 was expressed at 2.5 ± 0.16 fold higher level in the deep-neck AT compared with subcutaneous AT. UCP1 was found extensively expressed in the deep-neck AT depot and the correlation between UCP1 and OCT3 within the deep-neck AT was found highly significant (r2 = 0.4012, P-value < 0.0001). Lastly, we were able to reduce NE uptake in isolated brown adipocytes in an in vitro culture by adding corticosterone which is a known OCT3-blocker. In conclusion, we found that OCT3 may be a regulator of the concentration of NE in AT and by this mechanism a possible regulator of BAT function and a potential target for pharmacological intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Breining
- Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Steen Bønløkke Pedersen
- Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Arunas Pikelis
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Lars Rolighed
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Surgery P, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | | | - Niels Jessen
- Research Laboratory for Biochemical Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Bjørn Richelsen
- Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
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