Humans have never before lived as long and we have never had as many cures and treatments for diseases as now. But we still spend the last years of our lives sick with age-related diseases. Some scientists say it is time to grasp the problem by its roots – which in this case is aging itself. A lot of studies show that life can be prolonged in model organisms with the diabetes medication metformin. In recent years, metformin has proven to both expand lifespan and inhibit age-related diseases such as cancer and stroke. Metformin can do this by five different mechanisms; 1) inhibition of mitochondrial complex I, which is a part of the electron transport chain, 2) inhibition of the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, which in turn protects DNA from damage and mutations, 3) activation of AMPK, a kinase that is activated in the body when energy levels are low, 4) decrease of signaling of IGF-1, a growth factor that has been linked to the development of tumors, and 5) inhibition of mTOR, a regulator of cell metabolism, growth, proliferation, survival and autophagy. Studies are constantly proving metformin to be useful in both treatment of diseases and in inhibiting aging. New studies like TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin), where older patients will try out metformin fors everal years, will shed more light on whether metformin might have the same effect in humans. Metformin could potentially provide a new future of health care where we not only treat diseases, but also prolong aging itself.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-465781 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Wiberg, Lotta |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för biologisk grundutbildning |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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