Metformin and simvastatin in ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy. One approach to developing effective new therapeutic strategies is to redirect drugs already on the market for other indications. In this study, researchers looked at two metabolic modulators: metformin and simvastatin. They evaluated the effects of metformin combined with simvastatin on the proliferation and viability of two ovarian tumor cell lines. The combination of the two drugs showed synergistic inhibition of proliferation and viability in both cell lines. The action of the drugs is thought to be based on the deregulation of genes in several interconnected pathways.