The Improving Effect of HL271, a Chemical Derivative of Metformin, a Popular Drug for Type II Diabetes Mellitus, on Aging-induced Cognitive Decline

In recent years, as the aging population grows, aging-induced cognitive impairments including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have become the biggest challenges for global public health and social care. Therefore, the development of potential therapeutic drugs for aging-associated cognitive impairment is essential. Metabolic dysregulation has been considered to be a key factor that affects aging and dementia. Adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a primary sensor of cellular energy states and regulates cellular energy metabolism. Metformin (1,1-dimethylbiguanide hydrochloride) is a well-known AMPK activator and has been widely prescribed for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Since the incidence of T2DM and dementia increases with aging, metformin has been considered to be one of the most promising drugs to target dementia and its related disorders. To that end, here, we tested the efficacy of metformin and HL271, a novel metformin derivative, in aging-induced cognitive decline. Water (control), metformin (100 mg/kg) or HL271 (50 mg/kg) were orally administered to aged mice for two months; then, the mice were subjected to behavioral tests to measure their cognitive function, particularly their contextual, spatial and working memory. AMPK phosphorylation was also measured in the drug-treated mouse brains. Our results show that oral treatment with HL271 (50 mg/kg) but not metformin (100 mg/kg) improved cognitive decline in aged mice. AMPK activation was correlated with behavior recovery after aging-induced cognitive decline. Taken together, these results suggest that the newly synthesized AMPK activator, HL271, could be a potential therapeutic agent to treat age-related cognitive decline.