Table 1 Examples of miRNAs modulated by metformin in cancers and their putative mRNA targets

Breast cancer

miR-27b

miR-26a

miR-21-5p

miR-21

miR-155

miR-708

miR-200c

Up

Up

Down

Up

Down

Down

Up

ENPP1

PTEN, MCL-1, EZH2, E2F3 & MTDH

Sestrin-1 & CAB39L

Foxo-1

Foxo-3

CD47

AKT2 and Bcl-2

[14]

[23]

[28]

[29]

[29]

[35]

[37]

Cervical cancer

miR-142-3p

Up

HMGA2

[40]

Cholangiocarcinoma

miR-302

Up

Rb, cyclin D1& Cdk4

[48]

Colorectal cancer

miR-21

miR-200 family

miR-34a

Down

Up

Up

Spry2

ZEB

SNAIL1

[54]

[61]

[61]

Endometrial Hyperplasia

let-7

miR-144

Up

Up

c-Myc, HMGA2 & Imp3

EZH2

[47]

[85]

Gallbladder cancer

miR-675-5p

Up

–

[89]

Gastric cancer

miR-15a

miR-128

miR-192

miR-194

Up

Up

Up

Up

Bmi-1

Bmi-1

Bmi-1

Bmi-1

[96]

[96]

[96]

[96]

Hypo pharyngeal Carcinoma

miR-21-5p

Down

PDCD4

[101]

Non-small-cell lung Cancer

miR-7

miR-381

miR-107

Up

Up

Down

Bcl-2

YAP

Eomes

[107]

[112]

[115]

Osteosarcoma

miR-570-3p

Up

LCMR1 and ATG12

[119]

Ovarian cancer

let-7

miR-3127-5p

Up

Up

c-Myc, HMGA2 & Imp3

LC3

[47]

[123]

Pancreatic cancer

miR-150

miR-210-5p

miR-221

miR-200a-3p

Up

Up

Down

Down

MUC4

PFKFB2

P27

–

[73]

[136]

[141]

[149]

Prostate cancer

miR-708

Up

NNAT

[150]

Renal cell carcinoma

miR-21

miR-34a

Down

Up

PTEN

cyclin D1

[155]

[159]

Skin cancer

miR-21

miR-192-5p

miR-584-3p

Down

Up

Up

PTEN

EFEMP1

SCAMP3

[166]

[175]

[175]