Antiglycation Efficacy: Unknown Pleiotropicity of Known Drugs

Aging and age-related diseases, which include the most relevant chronic non-infectious diseases (arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus), are attributed to the accumulation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) in various organs and tissues. Glycation (non-enzymatic glycosylation) is the name given to the in vivo reaction of reducing carbohydrates and free amino groups of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. It has many negative biological effects mediated by disruption of the conformation of structural proteins, enzymes, and nucleic acids at the intracellular level and in the extracellular matrix. The consequences of AGE accumulation are difficult to reverse because of the long half-life and slow elimination of AGEs, which makes the development of technologies aimed at blocking the reactions leading to their formation an urgent and important goal. Currently, pharmacology is faced with the task of searching for molecules with promising antiglycating properties. Identification of drugs that prevent glycation among well-known drugs in clinical practice is a necessary step in solving this problem. The antiglycation properties of such drugs (metformin, ramipril, telmisartan, etc.) are discussed in this review as a little-known component of their pleiotropy. The drugs are classified according to the mechanism of their antiglycation effect.