title: AMP-activated protein kinase: a target for drugs both ancient and modern.
abstract: The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a sensor of cellular energy status. It is activated, by a mechanism requiring the tumor suppressor LKB1, by metabolic stresses that increase cellular ADP:ATP and/or AMP:ATP ratios. Once activated, it switches on catabolic pathways that generate ATP, while switching off biosynthetic pathways and cell-cycle progress. These effects suggest that AMPK activators might be useful for treatment and/or prevention of type 2 diabetes and cancer. Indeed, AMPK is activated by the drugs metformin and salicylate, the latter being the major breakdown product of aspirin. Metformin is widely used to treat diabetes, while there is epidemiological evidence that both metformin and aspirin provide protection against cancer. We review the mechanisms of AMPK activation by these and other drugs, and by natural products derived from traditional herbal medicines.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Signalling & Immunology, College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EH, Scotland, UK. d.g.hardie@dundee.ac.uk
authors.forename: D Grahame
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Hardie
authors.forename: Fiona A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Simon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hawley
mesh_terms: D000091162:AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D012459:Salicylates / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D012459:Salicylates; D008687:Metformin; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C109790:STK11 protein, human; D000091162:AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases