TABLE 1.
Reported studies of metformin in the treatment of different diseases.
| SL. No. | Type of study | Study subjects | Dose and duration | Results | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Randomized, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study | 140 children (boys-72, girls-68) of age: 7 to 14 with BMI >95th percentiles. 2 groups were formed: first group—pre-pubertal and pubertal children—given metformin. Second group—Pre-pubertal and Pubertal children—given placebo | Initially, subjects were asked to take 50 mg BD for first 10 days, followed by 500 mg BD until the end. Total duration: 6 months | BMI score was decreased. Cardiovascular and inflammatory-associated obesity parameters were found to be improved | Pastor-Villaescusa et al. (2017) |
| 2 | Controlled clinical trial | 154 people with BMI ≥27 kg/m2 were chosen for metformin administration. 45 people were taken as control | Metformin 2,500 mg/day. Total duration: 6 months | Metformin was found to be effective in both insulin-resistant and sensitive overweight and obese subjects. In the study group, weight loss was reported by 5.8 ± 7.0 kg. In control group, weight gain was observed by 0.8 ± 3.5 kg | Seifarth et al. (2013) |
| 3 | Randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study | 20 non-diabetic patients (of age: 55–80) with Alzheimer’s disease | The subjects were divided into 2 groups, randomly in 1:1 ratio to receive metformin and placebo, respectively. They were asked to begin with 500 mg/day metformin or placebo for a week, gradually the dose was increased to a maximum dose of 2000 mg/day by increasing 500 mg per week. Total duration: 8 weeks | Memory, learning, and executive functioning were found enhanced at the end of the trial | Koenig et al. (2017) |
| 4 | Randomized control trial | 129 women of age 40–65 were divided into two groups. Control group was treated with chemotherapy + hormonal therapy while the Interventional group received chemotherapy + hormonal therapy + metformin along with vitamin B12 i.m. to both groups every 3 days | The trial began with 850 mg OD for 2 weeks and increased to 850 mg BD within food | Metformin added to the adjuvant breast cancer therapy decreased metastasis and the inducible metastatic factors, HOMAIR and FBG, along with the reduced insulin levels. Increase in IGFBP-3 protective factor and decreased IGF-1 were reported | El-haggar et al. (2016) |
| 5 | Controlled clinical trial | 11 non-diabetic-newly diagnosed and untreated patients with Endometrial cancer were chosen for the trial | 500 mg TID to the subjects for a mean of 36.6 days, considering follow up of mean of 57 months | Anti-proliferative effects of metformin were observed with significant reduction in: IGFBP-7 and IGF-1 Mean plasma insulin Expression of pS6 and ki-67 | Laskov et al. (2014) |
| 6 | Pre-clinical study | 8-week-old non-diabetic non-alcoholic steatohepatitis mice with liver pathologies | 37.5 mg/kg of mouse weight (∼2250 mg/60 kg of human) Total duration: 8 weeks | At the end of the trial | Kita et al. (2012) |
| • Downregulation in activation of hepatic stellate cells | |||||
| • Suppression in inflammation, fatty acid metabolism and fibrogenesis | |||||
| • Decrease in hepatic triglyceride levels were reported | |||||
| Amelioration in induced inflammation, abnormal retention of lipids-steatosis and fibrosis was seen |