tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
PLoS Pathog
. 2021 Jun 22;17(6):e1009634.
doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009634. eCollection 2021 Jun.
Diabetes and coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): Molecular mechanism of Metformin intervention and the scientific basis of drug repurposing
Elizabeth Varghese[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Samson Mathews Samuel[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alena Liskova[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Peter Kubatka[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Dietrich Büsselberg[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a new strain of coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. Soon after its emergence in late December 2019, it was noticed that diabetic individuals were at an increased risk of COVID-19-associated complications, ICU admissions, and mortality. Maintaining proper blood glucose levels using insulin and/or other oral antidiabetic drugs (such as Metformin) reduced the detrimental effects of COVID-19. Interestingly, in diabetic COVID-19 patients, while insulin administration was associated with adverse outcomes, Metformin treatment was correlated with a significant reduction in disease severity and mortality rates among affected individuals. Metformin was extensively studied for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antiviral capabilities that would explain its ability to confer cardiopulmonary and vascular protection in COVID-19. Here, we describe the various possible molecular mechanisms that contribute to Metformin therapy's beneficial effects and lay out the scientific basis of repurposing Metformin for use in COVID-19 patients.
. 2021 Jun 22;17(6):e1009634.
doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009634. eCollection 2021 Jun.
Diabetes and coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2): Molecular mechanism of Metformin intervention and the scientific basis of drug repurposing
Elizabeth Varghese[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Samson Mathews Samuel[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alena Liskova[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Peter Kubatka[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Dietrich Büsselberg[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 34157054
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009634
Abstract
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a new strain of coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. Soon after its emergence in late December 2019, it was noticed that diabetic individuals were at an increased risk of COVID-19-associated complications, ICU admissions, and mortality. Maintaining proper blood glucose levels using insulin and/or other oral antidiabetic drugs (such as Metformin) reduced the detrimental effects of COVID-19. Interestingly, in diabetic COVID-19 patients, while insulin administration was associated with adverse outcomes, Metformin treatment was correlated with a significant reduction in disease severity and mortality rates among affected individuals. Metformin was extensively studied for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antiviral capabilities that would explain its ability to confer cardiopulmonary and vascular protection in COVID-19. Here, we describe the various possible molecular mechanisms that contribute to Metformin therapy's beneficial effects and lay out the scientific basis of repurposing Metformin for use in COVID-19 patients.