On a therapeutic prospect, the metabolic modulator metformin has been shown to be able to protect against CS-induced myofibers’ type switch and telomere shortening in a mouse model of emphysema, mediated by the activation of 5′AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) and GDF-15 (growth differentiation factor 15) [146]. This evidence concerns the gene GDF15 and pulmonary emphysema.