Metformin as a radiation modifier; implications to normal tissue protection and tumor sensitization.

Metformin as a radiation modifier; implications to normal tissue protection and tumor sensitization. Curr Clin Pharmacol. 2018 Oct 25;: Authors: Mortezaee K, Shabeeb D, Musa AE, Najafi M, Farhood B Abstract Nowadays, ionizing radiation is used for several applications in medicine, industry, agriculture, and nuclear power generation. Besides the beneficial roles of ionizing radiation, there are some concerns for accidental exposure to radioactive sources. The threat posed by its use in terrorism is of global concern. Furthermore, there are several side effects to normal organs for patients had undergone radiation treatment for cancer. Hence, modulation of radiation response in normal tissues was one of the most important aims of radiobiology. Although, so far, several agents have been investigated for protection and mitigation of radiation injury. Agents such as amifostine may lead to severe toxicity, while others may interfere with radiation therapy outcomes as a result of tumor protection. Metformin is a natural agent that is well known as an anti-diabetic drug. It has shown some antioxidant effects and enhances DNA repair capacity, thereby ameliorating cell death following exposure to radiation. Moreover, through targeting endogenous ROS production within cells, it can mitigate radiation injury. This could potentially make it an effective radiation countermeasure. In contrast to other radioprotectors, metformin has shown modulatory...
Source: Current Clinical Pharmacology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Curr Clin Pharmacol Source Type: research