Chinese and US researchers conducting a study in cynomolgus monkeys have shown metformin – a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes – can slow ageing in multiple organs, including the brain.
They found monkeys treated with metformin over a 3.5-year period showed reduced age-related decline, with some exhibiting a 6-year regression in certain ageing indicators.
Metformin’s mechanism ‘involves improving insulin sensitivity, reducing inflammation and promoting cellular repair processes, all important factors in ageing’, noted medicalnewstoday.com.
In the study, published in Cell, researchers administered the drug daily to 36 monkeys over a 40-month period, while collecting tissue samples from multiple organs, conducting brain imaging, and performing physical and cognitive tests at intervals throughout the study to assess changes in biological age at the cellular level.
They found biological ageing slowed down in several organs, including the kidneys (by 4.9 years), lungs (by 5.1 years) and skin (by 2.6 years).
Most notably, the researchers observed a significant impact on brain ageing: all monkeys experienced a reduction in age-related decline, with some showing brain age indicators resembling those of monkeys 6 years younger.
Metformin also ‘preserved brain structure and improved cognitive function, likely due to its activation of Nrf2, a protein known for its anti-oxidative properties’.
The geroprotective effect was especially pronounced in the brain’s frontal lobe and the liver.
The analysis also revealed metformin significantly slowed ageing of some neural cells and liver hepatocytes.
