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Τhe Endless Beauty of Metformin: Does It Also Protect from Skin Aging? A Narrative Review

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Abstract

Metformin has shown multiple effects beyond its widely known antidiabetic effect. Impressively, it has already been proposed as an anti-aging factor. However, the potentially protective role of metformin in skin aging, the most common manifestation of aging, is not well examined. Existing evidence based on experimental studies suggests a potential anti-aging effect on skin. Proposed molecular skin anti-aging mechanisms of metformin include mainly reduction of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) (p65) activity. Moreover, metformin appears to inhibit ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Nonetheless, data is still limited, and so more studies are needed. Importantly, we need more studies conducted in humans to further examine this interesting potential. Until then, whether oral administration of metformin or local use of the agent could be used to delay skin aging remains to be answered.

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Acknowledgements

Funding

No funding or sponsorship was received for this study or publication of this article.

Authorship

All named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship for this article, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given their approval for this version to be published.

Author contributions

Both authors contributed to the article in a substantive and meaningful manner. Evanthia Gouveri and Nikolaos Papanas were involved in article conception and design; Evanthia Gouveri searched and interpreted literature and wrote the first draft; Nikolaos Papanas finalised the draft. Both authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Disclosures

Evanthia Gouveri has attended conferences sponsored by Berlin-Chemie, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim. Nikolaos Papanas has been an advisory board member of AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, MSD, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Takeda and TrigoCare International; has participated in sponsored studies by AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, GSK, MSD, Novo Nordisk, Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis; has received honoraria as a speaker for AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Elpen, MSD, Mylan, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis and Vianex; and has attended conferences sponsored by TrigoCare International, Eli Lilly, Galenica, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis.

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

This article is based on previously conducted studies and does not contain any new studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

Data Availability

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no data sets were generated or analysed during the current study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Diabetes Centre Dr. Tews, 63571, Gelnhausen, Hessen, Germany

    Evanthia Gouveri

  2. Diabetes Centre, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, 68132, Alexandroupolis, Greece

    Nikolaos Papanas

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  1. Evanthia Gouveri
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  2. Nikolaos Papanas
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Correspondence to Nikolaos Papanas.

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Gouveri, E., Papanas, N. Τhe Endless Beauty of Metformin: Does It Also Protect from Skin Aging? A Narrative Review. Adv Ther 40, 1347–1356 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-023-02434-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-023-02434-z

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