Background/aims: It has become clear that metformin exerts pleiotropic actions beyond its glucose-lowering agent effect. In this review, we summarise the state of the art concerning the potential renoprotective effects of metformin in vitro, animal models and clinical nephrology.
Methods: A literature search was performed in PUBMED, ScienceDirect, between January 1957 and March 2017 using the following keywords: "metformin," "nephroprotection," "renoprotection," "survival," "renal failure," "chronic kidney diseases," "fibrosis," "polycystic kidney disease" and "microalbuminuria."
Results: A recent review of 17 observational studies concluded that metformin use appeared associated with reduced all-cause mortality in patients with CKD. Metformin has been shown to exert positive effects on the kidney in vitro and animal models representing different types of renal diseases, from acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease. A retrospective cohort study from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients indicated that metformin was associated with lower adjusted hazards for living donor and deceased donor allograft survival at 3 years posttransplant, and with lower mortality.
Conclusion: Based on experimental evidence and some relevant clinical observations, metformin seems to be a promising drug in the treatment of progressive renal damage. RCT studies are the next essential step.
Keywords: Experimental models; Fibrosis; Metformin; Podocytes; Polycystic kidney disease; Renal failure; Renal transplantation; Renoprotection.
© 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.