BioCentury
ARTICLE | Distillery Therapeutics

Pulmonary

August 1, 2018 8:07 PM UTC

Patient sample, cell culture and mouse studies suggest activating AMPK could help treat pulmonary fibrosis. In lung tissue samples from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients, fibroblast levels of activated AMPK were lower than in the corresponding tissue samples from age-matched healthy volunteers. In human lung fibroblasts cultured with the fibrosis mediator transforming growth factor β 1 (TGFB1), a tool compound AMPK activator or the generic AMPK activator metformin decreased collagen levels compared with no treatment, and the tool compound decreased levels of pro-fibrotic fibronectin 1 (FN1; FN) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). In a mouse model of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis, metformin decreased levels of collagen and α-SMA in the lung. Next steps include testing metformin in IPF patients.

The generic metformin is marketed for Type II diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome...