TY - JOUR T1 - Phenformin Induces Caspase-dependent Apoptosis of FaDu Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells JF - Anticancer Research JO - Anticancer Res SP - 3499 LP - 3506 DO - 10.21873/anticanres.13496 VL - 39 IS - 7 AU - YO-SEOB SEO AU - TAE-HYEON KIM AU - HYANGI LIM AU - JI-SU OH AU - JAE-SEEK YOU AU - GYEONG-JE LEE AU - SUN-KYOUNG YU AU - DO KYUNG KIM AU - HEUNG-JOONG KIM AU - CHUN SUNG KIM AU - SOOK-YOUNG LEE AU - SU-GWAN KIM AU - JAE-SUNG KIM Y1 - 2019/07/01 UR - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/39/7/3499.abstract N2 - Background/Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the apoptotic effects of phenformin, a therapeutic agent for diabetes, on head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Materials and Methods: Cytotoxicity was measured by the MTT and live/dead cell assay. Phenformin-induced apoptotic FaDu cell death and its associated cellular signaling pathways were investigated by hematoxylin and eosin staining, 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining, caspase-3 activity assay, fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis, and western blotting. Results: Phenformin promoted death of and apoptotic processes in FaDu cells, including morphological alterations and nuclear condensation. Furthermore, treatment with phenformin increased caspase-3 activity and apoptotic populations via the caspase cascade through cleavage of capspase-8, -9, and -3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase in FaDu cells. Moreover, phosphorylation levels of mitogen-activated protein kinases, nuclear factor-κB, and AKT were down-regulated in FaDu cells by phenformin. Conclusion: Phenformin induced death of FaDu cells via caspase-dependent extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis pathways and is a promising novel therapeutic agent for HNSCC. ER -