Metformin as adjuvant treatment in hepatitis C virus infections and associated complications.

Hepatitis C virus is an important global cause of hepatitis and subsequently cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. These infections may also cause extrahepatic manifestations, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus. These two complications can potentially reduce sustained virologic responses (SVR) in some drug regimens for this infection.

Metformin has immunomodulatory effects which support its potential use as adjunctive therapy in tuberculosis.

Metformin is the preferred oral medication for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and this blood glucose-lowering and insulin-sensitizing drug has immunomodulatory effects that could contribute to the management of patients with various other autoimmune and infectious diseases. Tuberculosis is one such infection, and it remains prevalent worldwide, largely due to the successful evasion of the host's immune responses by the infecting pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This review focuses on the possible mechanisms relevant to metformin's modulation of innate and adaptive immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its potential use as an adjunctive drug in the treatment of tuberculosis.

The effect of metformin on glucose metabolism in patients receiving glucocorticoids.

Glucocorticoids have powerful anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, but chronic use of these drugs can cause hyperglycemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hepatic steatosis, obesity, and other complications due to their metabolic actions. Metformin is a widely used drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus with a known ability to lower blood glucose levels. This review focuses on metformin's actions on glucose metabolism and its potential use as a drug to limit the metabolic side effects of glucocorticoid treatment.