Pleiotropic effects of metformin: Shaping the microbiome to manage type 2 diabetes and postpone ageing.

Pleiotropic effects of metformin: Shaping the microbiome to manage type 2 diabetes and postpone ageing. Ageing Res Rev. 2018 Oct 15;: Authors: Prattichizzo F, Giuliani A, Mensà E, Sabbatinelli J, De Nigris V, Rippo MR, La Sala L, Procopio AD, Olivieri F, Ceriello A Abstract Metformin is the first-choice therapy to lower glycaemia and manage type 2 diabetes. Continuously emerging epidemiological data and experimental models are showing additional protective effects of metformin against a number of age-related diseases (ARDs), e.g., cardiovascular diseases and cancer. This evidence has prompted the design of a specific trial, i.e., the Targeting Aging with Metformin (TAME) trial, to test metformin as an anti-ageing molecule. However, a unifying or prevailing mechanism of action of metformin is still debated. Here, we summarize the epidemiological data linking metformin to ARD prevention. Then, we dissect the deeply studied mechanisms of action explaining its antihyperglycemic effect and the putative mechanisms supporting its anti-ageing properties, focusing on studies using clinically pertinent doses. We hypothesize that the molecular observations obtained in different models with metformin could be indirectly mediated by its effect on gut flora. Novel evidence suggests that metformin reshapes the human microbiota, promoting the growth of beneficial bacterial species and counteracting the expansion of detrimental bacterial species. In...
Source: Ageing Research Reviews - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Ageing Res Rev Source Type: research