Metformin is one of the most prescribed hypoglycemia-inducing drugs in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. One of the effects of metformin is a reduction in adipose tissue lipolysis which is affected via the activation of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK). Which of the following actions of AMPK explains the adipose tissue benefits of metformin?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was first discovered as an activity that inhibited preparations of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and HMG-CoA reductase (HMGR) and was induced by AMP. AMPK induces a cascade of events within cells in response to the ever-changing energy charge of the cell. Once activated, AMPK-mediated phosphorylation events switch cells from active ATP consumption (eg, fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis) to active ATP production (eg, fatty acid and glucose oxidation). Other important activities attributable to AMPK are regulation of insulin synthesis and secretion in pancreatic islet b-cells. Activation of AMPK results in the phosphorylation and inhibition of mTOR and as a result, all of the downstream effects of that kinase.

Metformin Is One of the Most Prescribed Hypoglycemia-Inducing Drugs in the Treatment