Metformin Preserves Peripheral Nerve Damage with Comparable Effects to Alpha Lipoic Acid in Streptozotocin/High-Fat Diet Induced Diabetic Rats (Diabetes Metab J 2020;44:842-53)

Bo Kyung Koo

doi:10.4093/dmj.2020.0280

Articles

Page Path: HOME > Diabetes Metab J > Volume 45(1); 2021 > Article

Letter Metformin Preserves Peripheral Nerve Damage with Comparable Effects to Alpha Lipoic Acid in Streptozotocin/High-Fat Diet Induced Diabetic Rats (Diabetes Metab J 2020;44:842-53): Bo Kyung Koo^1,2; Diabetes & Metabolism Journal 2021;45(1):125-126.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2020.0280
Published online: January 22, 2021

3,435 Views
94 Download
1 Web of Science
1 Crossref
1 Scopus

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

²Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea

Corresponding author: Bo Kyung Koo

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, 20 Boramae-ro 5-gil, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 07061, Korea E-mail: bokyungkoomd@gmail.com

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Full Article

Download PDF

NOTES
REFERENCES

See the article "Metformin Preserves Peripheral Nerve Damage with Comparable Effects to Alpha Lipoic Acid in Streptozotocin/High-Fat Diet Induced Diabetic Rats" on page 842.

Using a streptozotocin/high-fat diet-induced diabetic rat model, Kim et al. [1] showed metformin to have a comparable effect on protection against diabetic neuropathy to that of alpha lipoic acid (ALA). Metformin and ALA showed similar effects on preservation of sensory threshold and intraepidermal nerve fiber density of peripheral nerves [1].

The mechanism of the preventive role of metformin on peripheral neuropathy has been reported to be reduced expression of inflammatory mediators (interleukin-1β, inducible nitric oxide synthase, and nitric oxide) [2], and the anti-oxidative effect occurs via the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase pathway [3]. Unfortunately, there was no measurement of pro-inflammatory and inflammatory markers to explain the neuroprotective effect of metformin. In addition, as Kim et al. [1] mentioned, the glucose–lowering effect of metformin might have the benefit of neuroprotection in diabetic animals. If there had been another anti-diabetic medication arm in the study, the effect of metformin on glucose control could have been separated from the benefit of neuroprotection by metformin independent of its glucose–lowering effect. The same group previously reported a neuroprotective benefit of pioglitazone compared to ALA in diabetic polyneuropathy [4].

Interestingly, metformin has been reported to be protective for paclitaxel (PAC)-induced neuropathic pain in a non-diabetic rat model [5], which might be evidence of the neuroprotective benefit of metformin independent of its glucose–lowering effect. In contrast, ALA had different effects between diabetic polyneuropathy and PAC-induced neuropathy; its protective effect was significant only in diabetic neuropathy [6].

Mechanistic study to investigate the effect of metformin on non-diabetic neuropathy such as PAC-induced neuropathy compared to other anti-diabetic agents or anti-neuropathic medications might provide insight on the neuroprotective benefit of metformin independent of its glucose–lowering effect.

NOTES

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

REFERENCES

1. Kim SH, Park TS, Jin HY. Metformin preserves peripheral nerve damage with comparable effects to alpha lipoic acid in streptozotocin/high-fat diet induced diabetic rats. Diabetes Metab J 2020;44:842-53.Article PubMed PMC PDF
2. Los DB, Oliveira WH, Duarte-Silva E, Sougey WWD, Freitas EDSR, de Oliveira AGV, et al. Preventive role of metformin on peripheral neuropathy induced by diabetes. Int Immunopharmacol 2019;74:105672.Article PubMed
3. Ma J, Yu H, Liu J, Chen Y, Wang Q, Xiang L. Metformin attenuates hyperalgesia and allodynia in rats with painful diabetic neuropathy induced by streptozotocin. Eur J Pharmacol 2015;764:599-606.Article PubMed
4. Jin HY, Lee KA, Wu JZ, Baek HS, Park TS. The neuroprotective benefit from pioglitazone (PIO) addition on the alpha lipoic acid (ALA)-based treatment in experimental diabetic rats. Endocrine 2014;47:772-82.Article PubMed PDF
5. Hacimuftuoglu A, Mohammadzadeh M, Taghizadehghalehjoughi A, Taspinar N, Togar B, Nalci KA, et al. The analgesic effect of metformin on paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain model in rats: by considering pathological results. J Cancer Res Ther 2020;16:34-9.Article PubMed
6. Jin HY, Lee NY, Ko HA, Lee KA, Park TS. Comparison of sensory tests and neuronal quantity of peripheral nerves between streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats and paclitaxel (PAC)-treated rats. Somatosens Mot Res 2016;33:186-95.Article PubMed

Figure & Data

References

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

The Effect of Metformin on Chemotherapy-Induced Toxicities in Non-diabetic Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomised Controlled Study
Manar A. Serageldin, Amira B. Kassem, Yasser El-Kerm, Maged W. Helmy, Mahmoud M. El-Mas, Noha A. El-Bassiouny
Drug Safety.2023; 46(6): 587. CrossRef

PubReader
ePub Link

Cite

CITE: export Copy Format; Close

Download Citation

Download a citation file in RIS format that can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager.

Format:

RIS — For EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and most other reference management software
BibTeX — For JabRef, BibDesk, and other BibTeX-specific software

Include:

Citation for the content below
Citation and abstract for the content below

Metformin Preserves Peripheral Nerve Damage with Comparable Effects to Alpha Lipoic Acid in Streptozotocin/High-Fat Diet Induced Diabetic Rats (Diabetes Metab J 2020;44:842-53)

Diabetes Metab J. 2021;45(1):125-126. Published online January 22, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2020.0280

XML Download