A proposed mechanism for the possible therapeutic potential of Metformin in COVID-19

Non-insulin anti-diabetic agents in patients with type 2 diabetes and COVID-19: A Critical Appraisal of Literature

“…Finally, the exact mechanism by which both metformin and DPP-4i might exert its beneficial effect is largely unknown, although various mechanisms have been hypothesized. Table 3 summarizes these immunomodulatory mechanisms of metformin and DPP-4i for purported benefit in relation to COVID-19 [ [61] , [62] , [63] , [64] , [65] , [66] , [67] , [68] , [69] , [70] , [71] , [72] ]. Nonetheless, to claim these mortality benefit and before recommending the use of metformin or DPP-4i meaningfully in patients with T2DM and COVID-19, we need positive results from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).…”

Metformin and COVID-19: From cellular mechanisms to reduced mortality

“…Over the past few weeks, several authors have written letters to editors and commentaries to speculate about the possible beneficial effects of metformin in diabetes patients with COVID-19 [17] based on the pleiotropic effects of this medication, characterized by a complex mode of action [19] , and the multiple pathogenic mechanisms that contribute to worsen the prognosis of patients with COVID-19, especially when T2DM is present [13] . The most important mechanisms of metformin activity in relation to COVID-19 are summarized in Table 1 [16] , [17] , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] . It is noteworthy, however, that all such proposed mechanisms remain, at present, theoretical.…”

Mortality risk with preadmission metformin use in patients with COVID‐19 and diabetes: A meta‐analysis

“…3 Therefore, since the outbreak of COVID-19, there has been a surge in the discussion, including in the Journal of Medical Virology, to repurpose metformin for the treatment of COVID-19 which a definite cure is still very much elusive. [4][5][6][7][8] Several studies have since explored the association between preadmission metformin use and the clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Thus, we performed a metaanalysis of the current studies to explore whether the use of metformin was associated with decreased mortality in COVID-19 patients.…”