The anti-diabetic PPARγ agonist Pioglitazone inhibits cell proliferation and induces metabolic reprogramming in prostate cancerDepartment of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Unit of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria; Department of Nutritional Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-Guided Therapy, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Christian Doppler Laboratory for Applied Metabolomics (CDL-AM), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Department of Molecular Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
Department of Urology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Department of Urology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Unit of Laboratory Animal Pathology, Institute of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Center for Cancer Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Department of Biological Sciences and Pathobiology, Unit of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
Department of Urology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Institute for Genetics, Cologne Excellence Cluster of Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), Cologne, Germany.
Center of Physiology and Pharmacology, Department of Vascular Biology and Thrombosis Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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2025 (English)In: Molecular Cancer, E-ISSN 1476-4598, Vol. 24, no 1, article id 134
Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Prostate cancer (PCa) and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) often co-occur, yet their relationship remains elusive. While some studies suggest that T2D lowers PCa risk, others report conflicting data. This study investigates the effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists Bezafibrate, Tesaglitazar, and Pioglitazone on PCa tumorigenesis. Analysis of patient datasets revealed that high PPARG expression correlates with advanced PCa and poor survival. The PPARγ agonists Pioglitazone and Tesaglitazar notably reduced cell proliferation and PPARγ protein levels in primary and metastatic PCa-derived cells. Proteomic analysis identified intrinsic differences in mTORC1 and mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) pathways between primary and metastatic PCa cells, which were further disrupted by Tesaglitazar and Pioglitazone. Moreover, metabolomics, Seahorse Assay-based metabolic profiling, and radiotracer uptake assays revealed that Pioglitazone shifted primary PCa cells' metabolism towards glycolysis and increased FAO in metastatic cells, reducing mitochondrial ATP production. Furthermore, Pioglitazone suppressed cell migration in primary and metastatic PCa cells and induced the epithelial marker E-Cadherin in primary PCa cells. In vivo, Pioglitazone reduced tumor growth in a metastatic PC3 xenograft model, increased phosho AMPKα and decreased phospho mTOR levels. In addition, diabetic PCa patients treated with PPAR agonists post-radical prostatectomy implied no biochemical recurrence over five to ten years compared to non-diabetic PCa patients. Our findings suggest that Pioglitazone reduces PCa cell proliferation and induces metabolic and epithelial changes, highlighting the potential of repurposing metabolic drugs for PCa therapy.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central (BMC), 2025. Vol. 24, no 1, article id 134
Keywords [en]
Cancer therapy, Energy metabolism, Extracellular acidification, Metabolic rewiring, Oxygen consumption rate, PPAR agonists, Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
National Category
Cell and Molecular Biology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-238717DOI: 10.1186/s12943-025-02320-yISI: 001481145200001PubMedID: 40320521Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105004217218OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-238717DiVA, id: diva2:1958748
2025-05-162025-05-162025-05-16Bibliographically approved