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  • Acute metformin preconditioning confers neuroprotection against focal cerebral ischaemia by pre-activation of AMPK-dependent autophagy.

Acute metformin preconditioning confers neuroprotection against focal cerebral ischaemia by pre-activation of AMPK-dependent autophagy.

British journal of pharmacology (2014-03-13)
Teng Jiang, Jin-Tai Yu, Xi-Chen Zhu, Hui-Fu Wang, Meng-Shan Tan, Lei Cao, Qiao-Quan Zhang, Li Gao, Jian-Quan Shi, Ying-Dong Zhang, Lan Tan
ABSTRACT

Recent clinical trials report that metformin, an activator of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) used to treat type 2 diabetes, significantly reduces the risk of stroke by actions that are independent of its glucose-lowering effects. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not known. Here, we tested the possibility that acute metformin preconditioning confers neuroprotection by pre-activation of AMPK-dependent autophagy in a rat model of permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated with either vehicle, an AMPK inhibitor, Compound C, or an autophagy inhibitor, 3-methyladenine, and were injected with a single dose of metformin (10 mg kg(-1), i.p.). Then, AMPK activity and autophagy biomarkers in the brain were assessed. At 24 h after metformin treatment, rats were subjected to pMCAO; infarct volume, neurological deficits and cell apoptosis were evaluated 24 and 96 h later. A single dose of metformin significantly activated AMPK and induced autophagy in the brain. The enhanced autophagic activity was inhibited by Compound C pretreatment. Furthermore, acute metformin preconditioning significantly reduced infarct volume, neurological deficits and cell apoptosis during a subsequent focal cerebral ischaemia. The neuroprotection mediated by metformin preconditioning was fully abolished by Compound C and partially inhibited by 3-methyladenine. These results provide the first evidence that acute metformin preconditioning induces autophagy by activation of brain AMPK, which confers neuroprotection against subsequent cerebral ischaemia. This suggests that metformin, a well-known hypoglycaemic drug, may have a practical clinical use for stroke prevention.

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Dorsomorphin, ≥98% (HPLC)
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3-Methyladenine, autophagy inhibitor
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Metformin hydrochloride, Pharmaceutical Secondary Standard; Certified Reference Material
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1,1-Dimethylbiguanide hydrochloride, 97%
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Metformin hydrochloride, European Pharmacopoeia (EP) Reference Standard
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Metformin hydrochloride, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Reference Standard
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