Archives of Physiology and Biochemistry · Jun 1, 2019

Metformin protects red blood cells against rotenone induced oxidative stress and cytotoxicity

By Tripathi SS, Singh AK, Akhtar F et al.

CONTEXT: The anti-diabetic medicine metformin has been reported as an anti-ageing drug candidate as it mimics the benefits of caloric restriction and reduces ageing-related oxidative stress in various experimental organisms. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the possible anti-oxidative role of metformin against rotenone-induced oxidative stress and cytotoxicity in erythrocytes of Wistar rats. Rotenone is a well-known inducer of oxidative stress which leads to a cellular redox imbalance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have co-exposed the experimental rats with rotenone (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) and metformin (300 mg/kg, orally) for 30 days to investigate the protective effects of metformin on various rotenone-induced impaired oxidative stress biomarkers in rat erythrocytes. RESULTS: We found that a significant alleviation in the levels of rotenone-induced pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant markers following exposure of metformin. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that metformin supplementation shows a protective role in against rotenone-induced redox imbalance and cytotoxicity in rat erythrocytes.

doi.org/10.1080/13813455.2019.1620288PubMed 31155970Interventions