Metformin action: concentrations matter

Ling He; Fredric E Wondisford

doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2015.01.003

Metformin action: concentrations matter

Cell Metab. 2015 Feb 3;21(2):159-162. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2015.01.003.

Authors

Ling He¹, Fredric E Wondisford²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Metabolism, Departments of Pediatrics, Physiology and Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
² Division of Metabolism, Departments of Pediatrics, Physiology and Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. Electronic address: fwondis1@jhmi.edu.

PMID: 25651170
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2015.01.003

Abstract

Metformin has been used for nearly a century and is now the most widely prescribed oral anti-diabetic agent worldwide. Yet how metformin acts remains only partially understood and controversial. One key reason may be that almost all previous studies were conducted with supra-pharmacological concentrations (doses) of metformin, 10-100 times higher than maximally achievable therapeutic concentrations found in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

MeSH terms

Animals
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / drug therapy*
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Humans
Metformin / administration & dosage*
Metformin / pharmacokinetics
Metformin / pharmacology*
Metformin / therapeutic use

Substances

Metformin