Exendin-4 inhibits growth and augments apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells

• Published in: Molecular and cellular endocrinology Vol. 436; pp. 240 - 249
• Main Authors: He, Wenjing, Yu, Shuang, Wang, Liantang, He, Mian, Cao, Xiaopei, Li, Yanbing, Xiao, Haipeng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 15.11.2016
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; agonists; animal ovaries; Animals; antineoplastic activity; apoptosis; Apoptosis - drug effects; Augments apoptosis; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement - drug effects; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Exendin-4; Female; glucagon-like peptide 1; Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor - metabolism; Humans; immunohistochemistry; Inhibit growth; islets of Langerhans; mice; Mice, Nude; Middle Aged; neoplasm cells; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Ovarian cancer cells; ovarian neoplasms; Ovarian Neoplasms - metabolism; Ovarian Neoplasms - pathology; patients; Peptides - pharmacology; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases - metabolism; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Signal Transduction - drug effects; tissues; Venoms - pharmacology; Inhibit growth; T2DM; BSA; c-AMP; GLP-1; IHC; Ovarian cancer cells; GLP-1 R; Exendin-4; Augments apoptosis
• ISSN: 0303-7207; 1872-8057
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2016.07.032

Glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 promotes proliferation and survival in β-cell; however, whether GLP-1 receptor agonists promote growth of human ovarian cancer cells remain unknown. We aimed to explore the effects of GLP-1 agents on ovarian cancer cells. GLP-1 receptor expression in human ovarian cancer tissues was detected by immunohistochemical analysis. The effects of exendin-4, a GLP-1R agonist, were investigated on proliferation, migration and invasion, apoptosis in vitro and tumor formation in nude mice of ovarian cancer cells. Our study demonstrated that GLP-1R expressed in both human ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines. Exendin-4 inhibited growth, migration and invasion and enhanced apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells through inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway. And exendin-4 attenuated tumor formation by ovarian cancer cells in vivo. Our study suggests that GLP-1R agonists do not promote the growth of ovarian cancer and may even have anticancer effect on selected diabetic patients with ovarian cancer. •GLP-1R expresses in both human ovarian cancer tissues and cells.•Exendin-4 inhibits growth and enhanced apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells.•Exendin-4 plays an antitumor role via inhibition of Akt activation.