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Metformin is the most popular anti-diabetic drug in the United States and one of the most prescribed drugs overall, with nearly 35 million prescriptions filled in 2006 for generic metformin alone. The biguanide class of anti-diabetic drugs originates from the French lilac ( Galega officinalis ), a plant known for several centuries to reduce the ...
G. officinalis is rich in galegine, a substance with blood glucose-lowering activity and the foundation for the discovery of metformin, [6] a treatment for managing symptoms of diabetes mellitus. [7] In ancient herbalism, goat's-rue was used as a diuretic. [8] It can be poisonous to mammals, but is a food for various insects. [4]
Metformin is a pleiotropic drug, with extensive off-target activity beyond its antidiabetic effect. Much of this has been attributed to its action on AMPK, although other mechanisms have been proposed. [221] [222] Metformin has been studied for its effects on multiple other conditions, including: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease [223] [224] [225]
One study among 96 patients diagnosed with gestational diabetes in the last three years found that, compared to insulin therapy, metformin had superior effects on blood sugar levels, inflammation ...
The term "biguanidine" often refers specifically to a class of drugs that function as oral antihyperglycemic drugs used for diabetes mellitus or prediabetes treatment. [4] Examples include: Metformin - widely used in treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2; Phenformin - withdrawn from the market in most countries due to toxic effects
The folk remedy French lilac (Galega officinalis), was used to treat the symptoms of diabetes, and towards the end of the nineteenth century it was discovered to contain galegine, a derivative of guanidine. This had a hypoglycaemic effect but was very toxic to the liver.
While working at the Chemistry Institute of the University of Vienna, Slotta synthesized compounds, analogous to plant extract from French lilac, then used to treat symptoms of diabetes. The synthetic, marketed as Synthalin , proved less toxic and more potent than prior plant products.
Later development of nontoxic, safe biguanides led to the long-used first-line diabetes control medicine metformin, introduced to Europe in the 1950s & United States in 1995 and now prescribed to over 17 million patients per year in the US. [14] [15] Guanidinium chloride [14] is a now-controversial adjuvant in treatment of botulism. Recent ...