Metformin may be potential treatment of non-diabetic CKD, finds study

Metformin is widely used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, and increasing numbers of studies have shown that metformin also ameliorates tumor progression, inflammatory disease, and fibrosis. However, the ability of metformin to improve non-diabetic glomerular disease and chronic kidney disease (CKD) has not been explored.

With this in mind, researchers undertook the recent study to investigate the effect of metformin on non-diabetic glomerular disease, where they used a mouse model of Alport syndrome (Col4a5 G5X) which were treated with metformin or losartan, used as a control treatment. The team also investigated the effect of metformin on adriamycin-induced glomerulosclerosis model.

Data analysis brought forth some key facts.

• Pathological and biochemical analysis showed that metformin or losartan suppressed proteinuria, renal inflammation, fibrosis, and glomerular injury and extended the lifespan in Alport syndrome mice.
• Transcriptome analysis showed that metformin and losartan influenced molecular pathways-related to metabolism and inflammation. Metformin altered multiple genes including metabolic genes not affected by losartan.
• Metformin also suppressed proteinuria and glomerular injury in the adriamycin-induced glomerulosclerosis mouse model.
• Results showed that metformin ameliorates the glomerular sclerosis and CKD phenotype in non-diabetic chronic glomerular diseases.
• Metformin may have therapeutic potential for not only diabetic nephropathy but also non-diabetic glomerular disease including Alport syndrome.

For full article follow the link: 10.1038/s41598-021-86109-1

Primary source: Scientific Reports