El-Akabawy G, Eid N. Enhancing metformin efficacy with cholecalciferol and taurine in diabetes therapy: Potential and limitations. World J Diabetes 2025; 16(1): 100066 [DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i1.100066]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Nabil Eid, MD, PhD, Academic Editor, Affiliate Associate Professor, Doctor, Senior Lecturer, Department of Anatomy, Division of Human Biology, School of Medicine, IMU University, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia. nabilsaleheid@imu.edu.my
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Diabetes. Jan 15, 2025; 16(1): 100066 Published online Jan 15, 2025. doi: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i1.100066
Enhancing metformin efficacy with cholecalciferol and taurine in diabetes therapy: Potential and limitations
Gehan El-Akabawy, Nabil Eid
Gehan El-Akabawy, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman 346, United Arab Emirates
Nabil Eid, Department of Anatomy, Division of Human Biology, School of Medicine, IMU University, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
Author contributions: El-Akabawy G wrote the manuscript; Eid N wrote, revised, and approved the final draft.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Nabil Eid, MD, PhD, Academic Editor, Affiliate Associate Professor, Doctor, Senior Lecturer, Department of Anatomy, Division of Human Biology, School of Medicine, IMU University, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia. nabilsaleheid@imu.edu.my
Received: August 7, 2024 Revised: November 4, 2024 Accepted: November 15, 2024 Published online: January 15, 2025 Processing time: 115 Days and 19 Hours
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus, particularly type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), poses a significant global health challenge. Traditional management strategies primarily focus on glycemic control; however, there is a growing need for comprehensive approaches addressing the complex pathophysiology of diabetes complications. The recent study by Attia et al explores the potential of a novel therapy combining metformin with cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) and taurine to mitigate T2DM-related complications in a rat model. The findings indicate that this treatment combination improves glycemic control and reduces oxidative stress, inflammation, and lipid abnormalities. However, the study is limited by a lack of safety profile data and in-depth molecular mechanism insights. This editorial critically highlights the study's strengths and weaknesses, compares it against other combination therapy research in T2DM, and underscores the need to explore further the mechanisms underpinning the observed therapeutic effects and investigate the safety profile of this novel approach.
Core Tip: Diabetes mellitus, particularly type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), poses a significant global health problem. Metformin is commonly used to control hyperglycemia linked to T2DM. Supplementing metformin with cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) and taurine can mitigate diabetes-related complications in a rat model of T2DM by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and lipid abnormalities. These findings suggest a synergistic effect between metformin, cholecalciferol, and taurine in managing T2DM complications, potentially offering a more holistic approach to diabetes care.
