Diabetes Drug Metformin Found to Act Directly on brain, Even inโค Tiny Doses
Paris, France – โA widely-used medication for type 2 diabetes, metformin, has been shown to exert a powerful effect on the brain, even at doses thousands of times lower โthan โคthoseโค typically prescribed, according to new research published in Science โAdvances. The discovery challengesโ conventional understanding of how the drugโ works and opens โคpotential avenues โฃfor more targeted and effectiveโข diabetes treatments, as well as therapies for brain aging.
Forโข decades, metformin has been a cornerstone in managing blood sugar levels byโ improving the body’s response to insulin. Though, researchers at โข [Institution name not provided in source] have now pinpointed a specific mechanism within the brain responsible for a โคsignificant portion of its antidiabetic โขeffect.
The study revealed that direct injection of minute amountsโข of metformin โฃinto the brain caused a substantial reduction inโ blood sugar.โค Thisโข exceptional sensitivity of nervous tissue to โthe molecule prompted further examination โinto the underlying โคneurological processes. Researchers identifiedโฃ SF1 neurons as key players, observing that these nerve cells are specifically activated byโค metformin โขadministered to the brain.
Electrical recordings confirmed thatโค metformin โฃstimulates the activity of the majority of SF1 neurons, but crucially, this stimulation is entirely dependent on the presence of a protein called Rap1. Without Rap1, metformin showed no ability to activate the neurons.
“This disrupts the conventional understanding of medicine,” researchers stated,โฃ noting the stark contrast between the brain’s response to infinitesimal doses of metformin andโค the higher โconcentrations required for action in the liver and intestines. This suggests a fundamental role for theโ brainโ in the drug’sโค overall โtherapeutic effect.
The โคfindings have significant therapeutic implications. Byโ directly targeting this brain pathway, scientists hope to develop more โprecise and effective diabetes medications. Furthermore, given metformin’s known benefits regardingโ brain aging, the team plans to investigate whether the Rap1 mechanism also explains these neuroprotective effects, perhapsโ leading to new applications inโ treating age-related cognitive decline. โข
Notably,โ few existing antidiabetic drugs are known โto act directly on the brain, making this discovery particularly impactful for โคthe medical community.
