Research on the application of metformin in ocular diseases

Metformin is a common oral hypoglycemic drug, which has an important role in improving insulin resistance and regulating the level of glucolipid metabolism.With the widespread use of metformin in recent years, new evidence suggests that it also regulates multiple biological processes such as autophagy, inflammation, angiogenesis, and fibrosis, which may provide the theoretical basis for the use of metformin in ocular disease.Current studies have implicated that metformin has great potential in ocular therapy in preclinical and clinical applications, especially for patients with diabetic retinopathy, where metformin has an important role in delaying disease progression by inhibiting hyperglycemia-induced retinal inflammation, oxidative injury, and vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway.For nondiabetic ocular disease, metformin ameliorated the disease course by modulating cellular metabolism, improving oxidative stress and autophagy, and downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines.Considering the multifaceted roles beyond glucose-lowering effects, as the advantage of safety profile and low cost, metformin has the potential as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ocular disease.This article reviews the research progress on the application of metformin in ocular diseases.