Combination Therapies Using Metformin and/or Valproic Acid in Prostate Cancer: Possible Mechanistic Interactions

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most frequent cancer in men. The evolution from local PCa to castration-resistant PCa, an end-stage of disease, is often associated with changes in genes such as p53, androgen receptor, PTEN, and ETS gene fusion products. Evidence is accumulating that repurposing of metformin (MET) and valproic acid (VPA) either when used alone, or in combination, with another therapy, could potentially play a role in slowing down PCa progression. This review provides an overview of the application of MET and VPA, both alone and in combination with other drugs for PCa treatment, correlates the responses to these drugs with common molecular changes in PCa, and then describes the potential for combined MET and VPA as a systemic therapy for prostate cancer, based on potential interacting mechanisms.

Keywords: AMPK; ERG overexpression; ETS gene fusion; Metformin; PTEN; androgen signaling pathway; chemotherapy; histone deacetylase inhibitor; mTOR; p53 protein; prostate cancer; valproic acid..