Metformin, a biguanide compound (N-1,1-dimethylbiguanide), is widely prescribed for diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2D) treatment. It also presents a plethora of properties, such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, anti-tumorigenic, and anti-AGE formation activity. However, the precise mechanism of action of metformin in the central nervous system (CNS) needs to be clarified. Herein, we investigated the neuroprotective role of metformin in acute hippocampal slices exposed to methylglyoxal (MG), a highly reactive dicarbonyl compound and a key molecule in T2D developmental pathophysiology. Metformin protected acute hippocampal slices from MG-induced glutamatergic neurotoxicity and neuroinflammation by reducing IL-1β synthesis and secretion and RAGE protein expression. The drug also improved astrocyte function, particularly with regard to the glutamatergic system, increasing glutamate uptake. Moreover, we observed a direct effect of metformin on glutamate transporters, where the compound prevented glycation, by facilitating enzymatic phosphorylation close to Lys residues, suggesting a new neuroprotective role of metformin via PKC ζ in preventing dysfunction in glutamatergic system induced by MG. Proposed neuroprotection role of metformin in acute hippocampal slices against impairment in glutamatergic system induced in a model of methylglyoxal glycotoxicity. Metformin reversed methylglyoxal (MG)-induced neuroinflammation by reducing pro-inflammatory IL-1β synthesis and secretion and RAGE protein expression. Metformin did not alter the effect of MG on S100B secretion (1). Both MG and metformin also influenced astrocyte function in hippocampal slices. Metformin did not reverse the elevation in GLO1 activity induced by glycotoxicity; however, it abrogated the high GSH level and the expression of the co-factor of GLO1 (2). Both treatments per se changed bioenergetic metabolism and increased glucose uptake, extracellular lactate content, and pyruvate kinase (PK) activity. The increment in glucose uptake and lactate levels ceased during the co-incubation of MG with metformin. Metformin reversed the elevation of hexokinase activity by MG (3). We suggest a new role of metformin in the glutamate system, whereby it protects the hippocampus against the derangements of the glutamatergic system induced by MG, possibly by phosphorylation via PKC ζ (4). The neuroprotective action of metformin may be mediated by the phosphorylation of specific amino acid residues (Lysine) of the glutamate transporters (GLAST and GLT-1), since metformin activated the PKC ζ signaling and promoted cascades of phosphorylation in p38 MAPK and Akt proteins. The transporter protein phosphorylation prevented the Lys-glycation and the impairment of glutamate uptake induced by MG (5).
Keywords: Astrocyte; Diabetes mellitus; Glutamatergic system; Metformin; Methylglyoxal.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.