Disparate Effects of Metformin on Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Mice

Abstract

Comorbid type 2 diabetes poses a great challenge to the global control of tuberculosis. Here, we assessed the efficacy of metformin (MET), an antidiabetic drug, in mice infected with a very low dose of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In contrast to diabetic mice, infected nondiabetic mice that received the same therapeutic concentration of MET presented with significantly higher disease burden. This warrants further studies to investigate the disparate efficacy of MET against tuberculosis in diabetic and nondiabetic individuals.