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A geroscience perspective on immune resilience and infectious diseases: a potential case for metformin.

Citation
Justice, J. N., et al. “A Geroscience Perspective On Immune Resilience And Infectious Diseases: A Potential Case For Metformin.”. Geroscience, pp. 1093-1112.
Center Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Author Jamie N Justice, Sriram Gubbi, Ameya S Kulkarni, Jenna M Bartley, George A Kuchel, Nir Barzilai
Keywords aging, COVID-19, Geroscience, Immunity, Metformin
Abstract

We are in the midst of the global pandemic. Though acute respiratory coronavirus (SARS-COV2) that leads to COVID-19 infects people of all ages, severe symptoms and mortality occur disproportionately in older adults. Geroscience interventions that target biological aging could decrease risk across multiple age-related diseases and improve outcomes in response to infectious disease. This offers hope for a new host-directed therapeutic approach that could (i) improve outcomes following exposure or shorten treatment regimens; (ii) reduce the chronic pathology associated with the infectious disease and subsequent comorbidity, frailty, and disability; and (iii) promote development of immunological memory that protects against relapse or improves response to vaccination. We review the possibility of this approach by examining available evidence in metformin: a generic drug with a proven safety record that will be used in a large-scale multicenter clinical trial. Though rigorous translational research and clinical trials are needed to test this empirically, metformin may improve host immune defenses and confer protection against long-term health consequences of infectious disease, age-related chronic diseases, and geriatric syndromes.

Year of Publication
2021
Journal
GeroScience
Volume
43
Issue
3
Number of Pages
1093-1112
Date Published
12/2021
ISSN Number
2509-2723
DOI
10.1007/s11357-020-00261-6
Alternate Journal
Geroscience
PMID
32902818
PMCID
PMC7479299
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