Fibromyalgia: Metformin & caloric restriction induce AMPK-dependent restoration of mito. dysfunction

[Bob]

Fibromyalgia research from Spain... It's from March, but I can't find it anywhere on the forum...

Metformin and caloric restriction induce an AMPK-dependent restoration of mitochondrial dysfunction in fibroblasts from Fibromyalgia patients.
Alcocer-Gómez E, Garrido-Maraver J, Bullón P, Marín-Aguilar F, Cotán D, Carrión AM, Alvarez-Suarez JM, Giampieri F, Sánchez-Alcazar JA, Battino M, Cordero MD.
Mar 14 2015.
Biochim Biophys Acta. 1852:1257-67.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2015.03.005.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443915000691

Highlights
Impaired AMPK is associated to mitochondrial dysfunction in Fibromyalgia.
Impaired AMPK is implicated in the low response to oxidative stress in Fibromyalgia.
Metformin or caloric restriction could be an interesting therapeutic approach in Fibromyalgia.

Abstract
Impaired AMPK is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical and pathological conditions, ranging from obesity, altered responses to exercise or metabolic syndrome, to inflammation, disturbed mitochondrial biogenesis and defective response to energy stress. Fibromyalgia (FM) is a world-wide diffused musculoskeletal chronic pain condition that affects up to 5% of the general population and comprises all the above mentioned pathophysiological states. Here, we tested the involvement of AMPK activation in fibroblasts derived from FM patients. AMPK was not phosphorylated in fibroblasts from FM patients and was associated with decreased mitochondrial biogenesis, reduced oxygen consumption, decreased antioxidant enzymes expression levels and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, mtDNA sequencing analysis did not show any important alterations which could justify the mitochondrial defects. AMPK activation in FM fibroblast was impaired in response to moderate oxidative stress. In contrast, AMPK activation by metformin or incubation with serum from caloric restricted mice improved the response to moderate oxidative stress and mitochondrial metabolism in FM fibroblasts. These results suggest that AMPK plays an essential role in FM pathophysiology and could represent the basis for a valuable new therapeutic target/strategy. Furthermore, both metformin and caloric restriction could be an interesting therapeutic approach in FM.

 

[Bob]

I haven't got access to the paper, so I've no idea what it's about, but it's interesting to come across AMPK again (as per the recently published Julia Newton study).

I came across the paper on the following thread:
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...chronic-fatigue-syndrome-and-fibromyal.37049/