Metformin As Medical Therapy for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: How Does It Work?

Objective: A negative relationship exists between diabetes mellitus (DM) and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), which is possibly caused by use of metformin. The aim of this study was to examine the difference in smooth muscle cell (SMC) contractile phenotype, proliferation capacity, and metabolic activity of non-pathologic aortic controls, non-diabetic AAA patients, and diabetic AAA patients. In addition, the therapeutic effect of metformin on these SMC functions was investigated.