Metformin: A metabolic modulator

Federico Pietrocola, Guido Kroemer

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    14 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Recent findings have shed new light on the mechanisms of action through which biguanides exert their anti-aging and cytostatic effects in Caenorhabditis elegans and human cell lines. The drop in energy charge resulting from the metformin mediated inhibition of mitochondrial activity affects the function of the nuclear pore complex, blocks mTOR signaling and enhances the expression of ACAD10. Whether the inhibition of this pathway is truly responsible for the anti-diabetic and cancer effects of the drug in mammals remains to be established.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)9017-9020
    Number of pages4
    JournalOncotarget
    Volume8
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2017

    Keywords

    • Aging
    • Autophagy
    • Biguanides
    • Caloric restriction
    • Cancer

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