BioCentury
ARTICLE | Translation in Brief

AMPK addendum

Merck sees cardiovascular toxicity in animal studies of pan-AMPK agonist

October 5, 2017 8:53 PM UTC

A Science paper form Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) suggests that while AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) agonists can reduce blood sugar levels and treat diabetes models, they also cause cardiac defects, casting doubt on AMPK agonists in clinical testing for the indication.

The AMPK pathway is a primary regulator of energy level responses in cells, with activated AMPK phosphorylating downstream proteins to modulate glucose uptake, glycogen synthesis and lipid metabolism. But the biochemistry of the protein is complex. Multiple copies of its three constituent subunits (a, b and g) create 12 different AMPK isoforms, which have distinct distributions in key metabolic tissues like liver and skeletal muscle. ...