Publication Date
2026
Presentation Length
Poster/Gallery presentation
College
College of Sciences & Mathematics
Department
Biology, Department of
Student Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor
Andrea Florian
Presentation Type
Poster
Summary
Prior research on the combined effects of insulin and glucagon with low-dose chemotherapy in cancer treatment has yielded contradictory conclusions. Insulin potentiation therapy (IPT), a longstanding but understudied approach, is broadly claimed to enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy; however, it has also been characterized as pseudoscience lacking physiological merit. Adding further complexity, glucagon, insulin's antagonist hormone, has been shown to produce anti-cancer effects when combined with chemotherapeutic agents. The present study aims to observe the individual effects of both hormones on colorectal cancer cells in combination with 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), to clarify their respective roles in combination therapy. Through the modulation of both insulin and glucagon on a 5-FU treatment of an in-vitro SW480 colorectal cancer cell line, triplicate data was provided to quantify the overall impact of either hormone compared to isolated chemotherapy. The results of this study should illuminate the effects of natural digestive hormones on typical colorectal cancer chemotherapy and help to outline the future of managing treatment-caused toxicity.
Recommended Citation
Randolph, Gabriel M. and Florian, Andrea, "Antagonistic Effects of Glucagon and Insulin on 5-Fluorouracil Efficacy in Colorectal Cancer" (2026). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 1144.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/1144
Included in
Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities Commons, Digestive System Diseases Commons, Hormones, Hormone Substitutes, and Hormone Antagonists Commons, Other Chemicals and Drugs Commons, Pharmaceutical Preparations Commons
