A team of scientists from Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) have found in their research study that metformin, a type 2 diabetes drug, has multiple curing effects for cardiovascular and cancer diseases.

Generally physicians prescribe metformin for treating type 2 diabetes. To analyse its impact on other diseases, a team of researchers from CCMB including Dr Srigiridhar Kotamraju, Sathish Vasamsetti, Santosh Karnewar, Koteswararao Kanugula, Dr Jarald Mahesh Kumar and Avinash Raj conducted a potency test of the drug against the vascular disease, Atherosclerosis, and proved effective. Atherosclerosis is a disease that causes the constriction of passageway for blood in blood vessels due to deposition of fat and plaque and can lead to cardiac arrest.

The Scientists also observed that metformin like compounds can even effectively kill cancer cells and is also thought to work against diseases like Alzheimer’s. In the past, it has also been shown that the drug slows ageing and increases life span. Not just that, this drug also has ability to check cancer and neuro-generative diseases in addition to capabilities of controlling glucose and inhibiting cardiovascular diseases.

In their research study scientists found that the drug prevented the exacerbation of the disease and even worked to increase good cholesterol and at the same time, reduce bad cholesterol. With this new finding, scientists are of the view that doctors should also clinically study its performance for further consolidation of the drug’s effectiveness on vascular disease.

Dr Kotamraju, senior scientist at IICT says, “Our research has now proven that metformin  has multiple curative effects. Earlier physicians used to think that metformin is cardio-protective but our research has found it can also be effective for atherosclerosis and it is good for non-diabetic people also.”

This new finding also means that diabetes patients on Metformin prescription would be less likely to develop cardiovascular diseases.

IICT scientists say metformin-like compounds have effectively killed cancer cells of all varieties. “It has anti-cancer properties. In our lab, we have seen that metformin actually kills cancer cells. So it could be that patients who are on the drug could be less prone to developing cancer,” says Dr Srigiridhar.