Role of Metformin in Viral Diseases

Abstract

Harshita Joshi, Gyanesh Singh41481*

Metformin is a guanidine compound originally derived from Galega officinalis. It stops hepatic gluconeogenesis and initiates glucose uptake in skeletal muscles. Metformin is currently the preferred treatment provided to the patients of type-2 diabetes. Sufficient evidence is there to show that metformin is also an anti-aging drug, although, proper and accurate mechanism of metformin is yet to be explained. Metformin is a widely available anti-diabetic agent with an outstanding safety profile, and clinical and preclinical evidence indicate that through enhanced ACE2 expression, metformin may provide cardiopulmonary defence in COVID-19 and also may help in the treatment of other viral diseases like HIV, hepatitis B and C, influenza and more.