Metformin from mother to unborn child – are there unwarranted effects?
Author
Nguyen, Linh
Chan, Shiao-Yng
Teo, Adrian Kee Keong
Date of Issue
2018School
School of Biological Sciences
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
Version
Published version
Abstract
For more than 40 years, metformin has been used before and during pregnancy. However, it is important to note that metformin can cross the placenta and circulate in the developing foetus. Recent studies reported that the concentration of metformin in foetal cord blood ranges from half to nearly the same concentration as in the maternal plasma. Since metformin has anti-cell growth and pro-apoptotic effects, there are persistent concerns over the use of metformin in early pregnancy. Current human studies are limited by sample size, lack of controls or, short follow-up durations. In this review, we examine the settings in which metformin can be passed on from mother to child during pregnancy and address the current controversies relating to the cellular and molecular mechanisms of metformin. Our efforts highlight the need for more data on the effects of metformin on general offspring health as well as further scrutiny into foetal development upon exposure to metformin.
Subject
Metformin
Pregnancy
DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences
Pregnancy
DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences
Type
Journal Article
Series/Journal Title
EBioMedicine
Rights
© 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Collections
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.08.047
Get published version (via Digital Object Identifier)