Investigating the Effects of Metformin on Heart Tissue and Related Enzymes in Non-Diabetic Male Rats

Metformin is a hypoglycaemic agent and an oral antidiabetic drug from the biguanide category and is the first line of treatment for type 2 diabetes, especially in obese people with normal kidney function. Metformin effectively improves insulin sensitivity and endothelial function, improving cardiovascular conditions in people with diabetes and controlling body weight. In the current study, the effect of metformin has been investigated on the cardiac tissue of its enzymes in adult non-diabetic male rats. In the beginning, a metformin solution was prepared. After determining the appropriate dose of metformin, intraperitoneal injection was administered to 30 rats within 30 days with doses of 15 mg/kg.b.w (first group), 20 mg/kg.b.w (second group), mg/kg.b.w 25 (third group), control group (no injection) and sham (distilled water injection). The data was measured with SPSS₂₂, the ANOVA test, and Duncan's test with a significance level of (𝑃≤0.05). In the macroscopic examinations, a significant weight decrease was observed in all three injection doses (𝑃≤0.001). In the case of heart weight, the reduction was not significant. A significant increase was observed in measuring the diameter of the left and right ventricles of the heart (𝑃≤0.05). In the examination of enzyme parameters, there were no significant changes in cardiac CPK enzyme; a significant decrease was observed in cardiac LDH and CKMB enzymes (𝑃≤0.05). In the microscopic examination of the heart tissue, changes in the arrangement of cells and nuclei, an increase in the number of nuclei and interstitial space, and a decrease in the number of blood capillaries were observed. Generally, it can be concluded that the consumption of different doses of metformin in rats has the same negative effect on their bodies because it causes a destructive effect on the heart tissue and also causes a decrease in the number of enzymes in this tissue below the normal level in the body. Consequently, its use should be done under the supervision of a doctor and consciously.