Modulation of the gut microbiota by metformin improves metabolic profiles in aged obese mice
Open accessAbstract
The gut microbiota is a contributing factor in obesity-related metabolic disorders. The effect of metformin on the gut microbiota has been reported; however, the relationship between the gut microbiota and the mechanism of action of metformin in elderly individuals is unclear. In this study, the effect of metformin on the gut microbiota was investigated in aged obese mice. The abundance of the genera Akkermansia, Bacteroides, Butyricimonas, and Parabacteroides was significantly increased by metformin in mice fed a high-fat diet. Metformin treatment decreased the expression of IL-1β and IL-6 in epididymal fat, which was correlated with the abundance of various bacterial genera. In addition, both fecal microbiota transplantation from metformin-treated mice and extracellular vesicles of Akkermansia muciniphila improved the body weight and lipid profiles of the mice. Our findings suggest that modulation of the gut microbiota by metformin results in metabolic improvements in aged mice, and that these effects are associated with inflammatory immune responses.
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In animals, metformin's glucoregulatory role results from increased Lactobacilli abundance in the upper small intestine, while its anti-inflammatory role is associated with increased Akkermansia, Bacteroides, Butyricimonas, and Parabacteroides genera.
“animal studies revealed that metformin’s glucoregulatory role was an effect of increased Lactobacilli abundance in the upper small intestine, while its anti-inflammatory role was associated with increased abundance of Akkermansia, Bacteroides, Butyricimonas, and Parabacteroides genera”
From Benefits of Metformin in Attenuating the Hallmarks of Aging (2020) · cites this paper as Lee et al. 2018
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References 53 · Cited by 203
- Authors
- Lee, H., Lee, Y., Kim, J., An, J., Lee, S., Kong, H., Song, Y., Lee, C.-K., & Kim, K.
- Affiliations
- Sahmyook University (KR)
- College of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, Seoul, Korea
- Chungbuk National University (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Kim, Kyungjae
- ORCID
- Venue
- Gut Microbes
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2018-02-13
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 155-165
- ISSN
- 1949-0976 (ISSN-L)
- 1949-0984
- PMC
- PMC5989809
- OpenAlex
- W2768863811
- Cited by
- 203
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 34 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 5
- FWCI
- 6.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Gut Microbes (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Korea Institute of Planning & Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (314044-3)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Oral microbiology and periodontitis research
- Keywords
- metformin, gut microbiota, aging, obesity, Akkermansia muciniphila, high-fat diet, IL-1β, interleukin-6, fecal microbiota transplantation, extracellular vesicles, lipid profile, body weight, Bacteroides, Butyricimonas, Parabacteroides
- MeSH terms
- Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Age Factors, Animals, Bacteria, Blood Glucose, Body Weight, Disease Models, Animal, Epididymis, Feces, Gene Expression Regulation, Male, Metformin, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Obesity, Interleukin-6, Lipid Metabolism, Mice, Interleukin-1beta, Diet, High-Fat
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