The mechanism for how metformin activates AMPK (AMP-activated kinase) was investigated in isolated skeletal muscle L6 cells. A widely held notion is that inhibition of the mitochondrial respiratory chain is central to the mechanism. We also considered other proposals for metformin action. As metabolic pathway markers, we focused on glucose transport and fatty acid oxidation. We also confirmed m...

AIM To investigate whether patients taking metformin for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have improved glycaemic control without compromising tolerability by adding an agent with a complementary mechanism of action vs. uptitrating metformin. METHODS Adults with T2DM and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) between 7.0 and 10.5% receiving metformin extended release (XR) 1500 mg/day for ≥8 weeks were r...

This study investigated the effect of metformin on chemosensitivity of hepatocarcinoma cells to cisplatin and the possible mechanism. HepG2 and Huh-7 hepatoma cells were treated with cisplatin at concentrations of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 µM for 48 h. Proliferation of HepG2 and Huh-7 hepatoma cells were detected by MTT assay. Apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells was detected by flow cytometr...

Metformin and berberine have been reported to have lipid lowering effects. This study aims to investigate lipid lowering effects of berberine and metformin, alone and in combination, in HepG2 cells to determine whether berberine and metformin work synergistically and elucidate their mechanisms. HepG2 cells were treated with 33 mM glucose in the presence of various concentrations of berberine an...

Metformin therapy is limited in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to the potential risk of lactic acidosis. This open-label observational study investigated metformin and lactate concentrations in patients with CKD (n = 22; creatinine clearances 15-40 ml/min) and in two dialysed patients. Patients were prescribed a range of metformin doses (250-2000 mg daily) and metformin concentr...

Background and Aims: Oncolytic reoviruses can infect and kill malignant cells while sparing their normal counterparts. Reoviral infection can induce or activate autophagy, even though metformin can induce autophagy. Identifying and regulating the cellular pathways important for reovirus replication and oncolysis can improve targeted-biological therapies for cancer. Here, the autophagic process ...

Metformin and berberine have been reported to have lipid lowering effects. This study aims to investigate lipid lowering effects of berberine and metformin, alone and in combination, in HepG2 cells to determine whether berberine and metformin work synergistically and elucidate their mechanisms. HepG2 cells were treated with 33 mM glucose in the presence of various concentrations of berberine an...

Recent epidemiological and laboratory-based studies suggest that the anti-diabetic drug metformin prevents cancer progression. How metformin diminishes tumor growth is not fully understood. In this study, we report that in human cancer cells, metformin inhibits mitochondrial complex I (NADH dehydrogenase) activity and cellular respiration. Metformin inhibited cellular proliferation in the prese...

Metformin is a biguanide commonly used in type 2 diabetes and considered to be a safe drug with minimal side effects. Approximately 2% of cases of acute pancreatitis may be caused by drugs, but it is not a known complication of metformin therapy. To date only one case of pancreatitis has been reported in association with metformin, but that was secondary to metformin poisoning (overdose). This ...

conclusions simvastatin effectively improved hyperandrogenism signs and symptoms in patients with pco, but this effect as a pretreatment regiment was not more expressive than metformin in icsi cycle outcome. patients and methods in this prospective, double blind, randomized clinical trial the efficacy of these drugs was evaluated in 40 women with pco syndrome (20 patients in each group; a: simv...