Metformin Found to Reduce Liver Inflammation

Metformin produces a modest and unreliable extension of life in animal models, and human data shows a small increase in life span in diabetic patients. This is thought to work as a calorie restriction mimetic drug, triggering one slice of the beneficial response to a reduced nutrient intake. Researchers here dig further in the biochemistry of the drug, and find that it reduces liver inflammation in addition to other, known effects. This is interesting, and suggestive that any benefits it produces are going to be much smaller in healthier older adults with lower levels of chronic inflammation. It doesn't change the fact that metformin does have only a small and unreliable effect on life span per the existing data, and is thus not where we should be focusing our attention. Researchers have known for 20 years that metformin activates a metabolic master switch, a protein called AMPK, which conserves a cell's energy under low nutrient conditions, and which is activated naturally in the body following exercise. Twelve years ago, researchers discovered that in healthy cells, AMPK starts a cascade effect, regulating two proteins called Raptor and TSC2, which results in a block of the central pro-growth protein complex called mTORC1 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1). These findings helped explain the ability of metformin to inhibit the growth of tumor cells. But in the intervening years, many additional proteins and pathways that metformin regulates have been d...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs