Metformin and other biguanides represent a new class of inhibitors of mitochondrial complex I that show promising antitumor effects. However, stronger inhibition of mitochondrial complex I is generally associated with upregulation of glycolysis and higher risk of lactic acidosis. Herein we report a novel biguanide derivative, N-cystaminylbiguanide (MC001), which was found to inhibit mitochondrial complex I with higher potency while inducing lactate production to a similar degree as metformin.Furthermore, MC001 was found to efficiently inhibit a panel of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells in vitro and to suppress tumor growth in a HCT116 xenograft nude mouse model, while not enhancing lactate production relative to metformin, exhibiting a superior safety profile to other potent biguanides such as phenformin. Mechanistically, MC001 efficiently inhibits mitochondrial complex I, activates AMPK, and represses mTOR, leading to cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Notably, MC001 inhibits both oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and glycolysis. We therefore propose that MC001 warrants further investigation in cancer treatment.
Keywords: Biguanide; Glycolysis; Lactate production; Mitochondrial complex I; Oxidative phosphorylation.
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