Summary
Effects of phenformin on blood sugar, serum triglyceride, thrombin time, euglobulin clot lysis time and cardiovascular complications were studied in maturity onset diabetics and in atherosclerotic patients with or without diabetes, for a period of 14–18 months. Phenformin has shown the characteristic properties of an antifibrinopathic agent in that it prolongs thrombin time and enhances fibrinolysis. The hypoglycaemic effect of phenformin was found to be directly related to its antifibrinopathic action. Plasma lipids fell in all cases. Absence of fresh cardiovascular complications and improvement in anginal symptoms were observed. The metabolic, haematological and clinical benefits of phenformin and its limitations in maturity onset diabetes and atherosclerosis may be explained by the effects of the drug upon the thrombin-fibrinogen reaction. These results lend support to the hypothesis of a primary fibrinopathic pathogenesis in maturity onset diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis.
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Banerjee, R.N., Kumar, V., Rao, S.R. et al. Antifibrin action of phenformin. Diabetologia 11, 105–111 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429832
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429832
Key words
- Thrombin time
- thrombin-fibrinogen reaction
- fibrinolytic activity
- plasminogen activator
- phenformin
- antifibrinopathic action
- lipid lowering effect
- hypoglycaemic effect
- plasma insulin clearance
- serum triglyceride
- euglobulin clot lysis time
- inter-relationship between hypoglycaemic and antifibrinopathic effect
- slow consumptive fibrinocoagulopathy
- fibrinocoagulopathic pathogenesis