Affiliation:
1. Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
Abstract
Background:
Metformin is a biguanide that exhibits an antidiabetic, anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory
properties. Despite well-known pancreatic protective effects, metformin's influence on pancreatic islet β-cell is yet
considerably unknown. Protecting the functional insulin-producing β-cells in the pancreas is a key therapeutic challenge in
patients with type 1 (T1DM) or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
Objective:
Current study aimed to analyze the protective effects of metformin on streptozocin-induced diabetic rats in
T1DM in hepatic tissues.
Methods:
In the present study, male wistar rats (n=24) were randomly assigned into 2 groups (n=12 for each control and
test) by which metformin (100 mg/kg/day) were given for 7 weeks. Afterwards, diabetes was induced by streptozocin (STZ)
at a single dose of (150 mg/kg). Blood glucose was daily examined before and after STZ induction. The animals were
euthanized by cervical dislocation 5 days after streptozocin injection, after which liver and pancreas were harvested from
each rat.
Results:
The biochemical analyses revealed that metformin resulted in significantly reduced plasma glucose levels and
higher pancreatic insulin levels in the test group. Using a restrictive cut-off of at least 2-FC and an adjusted p-value (qvalue) of ≤0.05 a sum of 747 genes for the metformin group were shown to be differentially regulated compared to controls
(320 Down and 427 Up), by which they were obtained from the liver. Furthermore, evidence is attained that metformin may
hinder the loss of critical β-cells by reducing inflammatory and apoptosis signaling, promoting fatty acid β-oxidation and
inducing metabolism.
Conclusion:
Collectively, this study has demonstrated a decrease in blood glucose levels and a rise in insulin-levels and
thus a consequent prophylactic effects in metformin-given STZ-induced diabetic rats.
Publisher
Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Subject
Immunology and Allergy,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism