Integrated or Independent Actions of Metformin in Target Tissues Underlying Its Current Use and New Possible Applications in the Endocrine and Metabolic Disorder Area.

Metformin is considered the first-choice drug for type 2 diabetes treatment. Actually, pleiotropic effects of metformin have been recognized, and there is evidence that this drug may have a favorable impact on health beyond its glucose-lowering activity. In summary, despite its long history, metformin is still an attractive research opportunity in the field of endocrine and metabolic diseases, age-related diseases, and cancer.

Autophagy in normal pituitary and pituitary tumor cells and its potential role in the actions of somatostatin receptor ligands in acromegaly.

Autophagy is an evolutionary conserved process for the self-degradation and recycling of cellular components in the cytoplasm. It is involved in both physiological and pathological conditions. In detail, the term "autophagy" refers to intracellular degradative pathways that lead to packaging and deliver of cellular components to lysosomes or to plant and yeast vacuoles.