No abstract

Geroprotectors are drugs that decrease the rate of aging and therefore extend life span. Metformin has been described as a geroprotector, and several studies have shown that metformin can slow down the rate of aging. The mechanisms behind the geroprotective effect of metformin are less established. The goal of this review is to investigate the evidence for the geroprotective effect of metformin and to describe the possible mechanisms behind it.

Population aging is one of the largest challenges of the 21st century. As more people live to advanced ages, the prevalence of age-related diseases and disabilities will increase placing an ever larger burden on our healthcare system. A potential solution to this conundrum is to develop treatments that prevent, delay or reduce the severity of age-related diseases by decreasing the rate of the aging process. This ambition has been accomplished in model organisms through dietary, genetic and pharmacological interventions. The pharmacological approaches hold the greatest opportunity for successful translation to the clinic. The discovery of such pharmacological interventions in aging requires high-throughput screening strategies. However, the majority of screens performed for geroprotective drugs in C. elegans so far are rather low throughput. Therefore, the development of high-throughput screening strategies is of utmost importance.

Advanced glycation end products are the results of a series of chemical reactions collectively known as the Maillard reaction, or nonenzymatic glycation, and sometimes cross-link proteins, thereby impairing their normal function. Glucosepane is the most abundant protein cross-link found in vivo so far and mainly has been shown to accumulate in the extracellular matrix, where it cross-links collagen. Levels of glucosepane increase with aging. By increasing collagen stiffness, glucosepane cross-links may have significant implications in several age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Although the formation pathways for glucosepane are relatively well researched, much is still unknown about the accumulation and pathophysiology of glucosepane.