Inhibitory effects of metformin at low concentration on epithelial–mesenchymal transition of CD44+CD117+ ovarian cancer stem cells

摘要

BackgroundAlthough metformin, a first-line drug for treating diabetes, may play an important role in inhibition of epithelial ovarian cancer cell growth and cancer stem cells (CSCs), metformin at low dose showed less effect on the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells. In this study, we evaluated the effect of metformin at low dose on ovarian CSCs in order to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying.