Protective Effects of Metformin in Various Cardiovascular Diseases: Clinical Evidence and AMPK-dependent Mechanisms

Overview

Journal J Cell Mol Med

Specialties Cell Biology
Molecular Biology

Date 2022 Sep 2

PMID 36052760

Authors

Yizhi Bu

Mei Peng

Xinyi Tang

Xu Xu

Yifeng Wu

Alex F Chen

Xiaoping Yang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Metformin, a well-known AMPK agonist, has been widely used as the first-line drug for treating type 2 diabetes. There had been a significant concern regarding the use of metformin in people with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) due to its potential lactic acidosis side effect. Currently growing clinical and preclinical evidence indicates that metformin can lower the incidence of cardiovascular events in diabetic patients or even non-diabetic patients beyond its hypoglycaemic effects. The underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular benefits of metformin largely involve the cellular energy sensor, AMPK, of which activation corrects endothelial dysfunction, reduces oxidative stress and improves inflammatory response. In this minireview, we summarized the clinical evidence of metformin benefits in several widely studied cardiovascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, ischaemic/reperfusion injury and arrhythmia, both in patients with or without diabetes. Meanwhile, we highlighted the potential AMPK-dependent mechanisms in in vitro and/or in vivo models.

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