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Metformin takes a new route to clinical efficacy

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Metformin is currently the first-line treatment option for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, yet its mechanism of action remains uncertain. A new study reveals the important role for the activation of a duodenal AMPK-dependent neuronal pathway in the acute antihyperglycaemic effect of metformin and the inhibition of hepatic glucose production.

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Figure 1: Metformin reduces hepatic glucose production through a gut–brain–liver axis.

References

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge funding from INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris Descartes, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Société Francophone du Diabète, Région Ile de France, Association pour la Recherche sur le Diabète and the Département Hospitalo-Universitaire (DHU) AUToimmune and HORmonal diseaseS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INSERM U1016, CNRS UMR8104 and Université Paris Descartes, 24 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques, Paris, 75014, France

    Marc Foretz & Benoit Viollet

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  1. Marc Foretz
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  2. Benoit Viollet
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Correspondence to Benoit Viollet.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Foretz, M., Viollet, B. Metformin takes a new route to clinical efficacy. Nat Rev Endocrinol 11, 390–392 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2015.85

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