ArticleOsteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA2013
The anti-diabetic drug metformin does not affect bone mass in vivo or fracture healing.
Article in Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 96 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mendelian randomization studies of risk and protective factors for osteoporosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of metformin on bone mineral density and bone turnover markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2023Pooled it
- Comparison of the Effects of Metformin and Thiazolidinediones on Bone Metabolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Pooled it
- Evaluation of the anti-osteoporotic effects of metformin and sitagliptin in postmenopausal diabetic women.Journal of bone and mineral metabolism · 2015Trial
- Repurposing Metformin to Promote Fracture Callus Maturation via AMPK-Driven Metabolic Activation.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2026Article
- Discovery and identification of semaphorin 4D as a bioindicator of high fracture incidence in type 2 diabetic mice with glucose control.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- Metformin Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation by Inducing AutophagyEndocrine, metabolic & immune disorders drug targets · 2026Article
- Metformin ameliorates osteoporosis by enhancing bone angiogenesis via the YAP1/TAZ-HIF1α axis.Molecular medicine (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2025Article
- Effects of Hypoglycemic Agents on The Musculoskeletal System: A Comprehensive Review.Drug design, development and therapy · 2025Review
- Research progress of diabetic osteoporosis: a comprehensive review.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Review
- Metformin attenuates diabetic osteoporosis by suppressing ferroptosis via the AMPK/Nrf2 pathway.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- The effects of liraglutide and metformin treatment on fracture healing in partially insulinopenic diabetic rats.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2025Article
- The microbial metabolite imidazole propionate dysregulates bone homeostasis by inhibiting AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling.Communications biology · 2024Article
- Metformin treatment reduces the incidence of osteoporosis: a two-sample Mendelian randomized study.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2024Article
- Isomangiferin promotes the migration and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.Open life sciences · 2024Article
- Potential Metabolic Pathways Involved in Osteoporosis and Evaluation of Fracture Risk in Individuals with Diabetes.BioMed research international · 2024Review
- Fracture healing research: Recent insights.Bone reports · 2023Review
- Metformin accelerates bone fracture healing by promoting type H vessel formation through inhibition of YAP1/TAZ expression.Bone research · 2023Article
- Diabetes and bone.Archives of endocrinology and metabolism · 2022Review
- Diabetes and Impaired Fracture Healing: A Narrative Review of Recent Literature.Current osteoporosis reports · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
summaryThe present study shows no adverse effects of the anti-diabetic drug metformin on bone mass and fracture healing in rodents but demonstrates that metformin is not osteogenic in vivo, as previously proposed.
introductionIn view of the increased incidence of fractures in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), we investigated the effects of metformin, a widely used T2DM therapy, on bone mass and fracture healing in vivo using two different rodent models and modes of metformin administration.
methodsWe first subjected 12-week-old female C57BL/6 mice to ovariectomy (OVX). Four weeks after OVX, mice received either saline or metformin administered by gavage (100 mg/kg/daily). After 4 weeks of treatment, bone micro-architecture and cellular activity were determined in tibia by micro-CT and bone histomorphometry. In another experiment, female Wistar rats aged 3 months were given only water or metformin for 8 weeks via the drinking water (2 mg/ml). After 4 weeks of treatment, a mid-diaphyseal osteotomy was performed in the left femur. Rats were sacrificed 4 weeks after osteotomy and bone architecture analysed by micro-CT in the right tibia while fracture healing and callus volume were determined in the left femur by X-ray analysis and micro-CT, respectively.
resultsIn both models, our results show no significant differences in cortical and trabecular bone architecture in metformin-treated rodents compared to saline. Metformin had no effect on bone resorption but reduced bone formation rate in trabecular bone. Mean X-ray scores assessed on control and metformin fractures showed no significant differences of healing between the groups. Fracture callus volume and mineral content after 4 weeks were similar in both groups.
conclusionsOur results indicate that metformin has no effect on bone mass in vivo or fracture healing in rodents.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.