Metformin use history and genome-wide DNA methylation profile: potential molecular mechanism for aging and longevity

BACKGROUND: Metformin, a commonly prescribed anti-diabetic medication, has repeatedly been shown to hinder aging in pre-clinical models and to be associated with lower mortality for humans. It is, however, not well understood how metformin can potentially prolong lifespan from a biological standpoint. We hypothesized that metformin's potential mechanism of action for longevity is through its epigenetic modifications. METHODS: To test our hypothesis, we conducted a post-hoc analysis of available genome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) data obtained from whole blood collected from inpatients with and without a history of metformin use. We assessed the methylation profile of 171 patients (first run) and only among 63 diabetic patients (second run) and compared the DNAm rates between metformin users and nonusers. RESULTS: < 5E-08). CONCLUSION: This study may elucidate metformin's potential role in longevity through epigenetic modifications and other possible mechanisms of action.