Diabetes drug could help reduce cardiovascular disease.
Published On Fri 19 Aug 2016 by Roddy Isles
The world’s most commonly used Type 2 diabetes drug, Metformin, may be ‘repurposed’ to treat non-diabetic conditions according to researchers from the University of Dundee.
The international study led by Professor Chim Lang and Dr Graham Rena at the Division of Molecular and Clinical Medicine at Dundee suggests that there is now strong evidence that the drug exhibits an anti-inflammatory action which may prove significant in non-diabetic cardiovascular disease.
Inflammation is understood to contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) but existing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have shown limited utility in CVD treatment.
Metformin, used by hundreds of millions of people with Type 2 diabetes worldwide, has been in use for over 50 years but continues to reveal significant possibilities for treatments other than those for diabetes.
Other recent studies undertaken at the University of Dundee have shown that metformin may help treat Alzheimer’s disease and could potentially prevent cancer. The drug is also undergoing new clinical trials to determine if it can promote healthy aging.
This report, however, finds that THE anti-inflammatory effects of metformin are exerted irrespective of diabetes status, meaning further testing is required.
Professor Chim Lang, Deputy Head of Molecular and Clinical Medicine Division at the University, said, “The anti-inflammatory effects of the drug were observed, not only in those with diabetes, but also in a cohort of non-diabetic heart failure patients.”
Dr Graham Rena, Senior Lecturer, said, “In this study, we investigated anti-inflammatory effects of metformin, as these may contribute to the CVD benefit of this drug.
“We found that this drug acts differently to NSAIDs, by inhibiting a different target, known as NF-kB. The next steps will be to establish exactly how metformin inhibits NF-kB and to identify specific nondiabetic patient groups that benefit from this anti-inflammatory action.
“These results suggest that metformin suppresses chronic inflammation by a different mechanism to NSAIDs and provide a non-empirical rationale for further testing of the drug in non-diabetic CVD.”
The research, a collaboration with researchers in Paris and Helsinki, is published in Circulation Research, one of the leading international journals in cardiovascular medicine, on Friday, 19th August.
The UK arm of the study was funded by the Medical Research Council, Diabetes UK and British Heart Foundation.
Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the BHF, said, “These findings offer further evidence that old drugs can perform new tricks. Repurposed medicines can much more quickly benefit patients.
“If this existing and affordable drug can be repurposed as a heart disease treatment, then this is excellent news for the 2.3 million people in the UK living with the condition.
“Research like this is essential to improving how we treat heart disease and preventing the sudden tragedies caused by heart attacks. We look forward to seeing how the research progresses in patient studies.”
Dr Emily Burns, Research Communications Manager at Diabetes UK, said, “While inflammation may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease, current anti-inflammatory drugs (known as NSAIDs) haven’t proven to be effective as a treatment so far. It’s therefore very interesting to see that metformin may have anti-inflammatory properties that work in a different way to NSAIDs.
“We welcome further research to tell us if metformin could be used to treat cardiovascular disease, in those with and without Type 2 diabetes, in the future.
“We’re very pleased to see that Diabetes UK research is having a real impact, exploring the future potential of a drug that already helps millions of people with Type 2 diabetes.”
Notes to Editors
The paper will be published in Circulation Research.
About the University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is the top ranked University in the UK for biological sciences, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. The University is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in diabetes research, hosting over 20 research groups that include some of the world’s most cited scientists.
Dundee is internationally recognised for the quality of its teaching and research and has a core mission to transform lives across society. More than 17,000 students are enrolled at Dundee, helping make the city Scotland’s most student-friendly. The University is the central hub for a multi-million pound biotechnology sector in the east of Scotland, which now accounts for 16% of the local economy. www.dundee.ac.uk.
About Diabetes UK
Diabetes UK is the leading charitable funder focussed on diabetes research in the UK, investing around £7 million every year to bring about life-changing breakthroughs in care, treatment and prevention; ultimately bringing us closer to a cure.
About the British Heart Foundation
For over 50 years we’ve pioneered research that’s transformed the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions. Our work has been central to the discoveries of vital treatments that are changing the fight against heart disease. But so many people still need our help. From babies born with life-threatening heart problems to the many Mums, Dads and Grandparents who survive a heart attack and endure the daily battles of heart failure.
Join our fight for every heartbeat in the UK. Every pound raised, minute of your time and donation to our shops will help make a difference to people’s lives.
For more information visit bhf.org.uk
About the Medical Research Council
The Medical Research Council is at the forefront of scientific discovery to improve human health. Founded in 1913 to tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now invests taxpayers’ money in some of the best medical research in the world across every area of health.
Thirty-one MRC-funded researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of disciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind such diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and the link between smoking and cancer, as well as achievements such as pioneering the use of randomised controlled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and the development of a group of antibodies used in the making of some of the most successful drugs ever developed. Today, MRC-funded scientists tackle some of the greatest health problems facing humanity in the 21st century, from the rising tide of chronic diseases associated with ageing to the threats posed by rapidly mutating micro-organisms.
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