Metformin has, in the past also been shown to help treat dementia and some cancers
The most commonly used diabetes drug may help people who are trying to quit smoking.
New research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins Medicine shows that Metformin could have a role in smoking cessation. The diabetes drug has also been shown to help treat dementia and some cancers.
In a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the research team found that after giving mice metformin the animals displayed reduced symptoms when going through nicotine withdrawal.
“Although we are just beginning to characterize this new role for metformin, our study suggests that the protein it acts on could be a new target for smoking cessation treatment,” said senior author Julie Blendy, a professor of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics at Penn.
as part of a collaborative study, researchers are also studying the effects of metformin on smokers
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death, with more people dying from nicotine addiction than any other preventable cause of death. Even though quitting smoking brings many health benefits, the abstinence rate remains low with current medications, likely because of an array of undesirable withdrawal symptoms.
Metformin has a variety of targets, one of which is a protein called AMPK. This study showed that the AMPK pathway in the hippocampus of the brain is activated following long-term use of nicotine. But, this heightened AMPK activity is rapidly reversed during nicotine withdrawal, which is associated with negative symptoms such as anxiety.
The researchers argued: “Based on our findings demonstrating the preclinical efficacy of metformin in alleviating anxiety-like behavior following nicotine withdrawal, we propose that AMPK activation in the brain via metformin can be repurposed as a novel pharmacotherapy for nicotine cessation. The proven preclinical efficacy of metformin in alleviating withdrawal symptoms along with its well-established safety profile for diabetes treatment should encourage investigators to translate these findings into future clinical trials for higher continuous abstinence rates in smokers, with the added benefit of normalizing glycemic control.”
As part of a collaborative effort, clinical researchers Rebecca Ashare, PhD, an assistant professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, and Robert Schnoll, PhD, an associate professor of Psychology in Psychiatry and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Nicotine Addiction, are studying the effects of metformin on smokers to see if it attenuates negative mood and cognitive deficits during withdrawal – symptoms known to be associated with the ability to quit. If the current trial suggests withdrawal symptoms can be reduced, a larger study would evaluate its effects on smoking cessation.
