ArticleGut2014
An increase in the Akkermansia spp. population induced by metformin treatment improves glucose homeostasis in diet-induced obese mice.
Article in Gut, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03629639 (Metformin for Treatment of Psoriasis Combined With Disorders of Glucose and Lipid Metabolism), which is not on this map. Cited by 851 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Metformin for Treatment of Psoriasis Combined With Disorders of Glucose and Lipid Metabolism: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study
Who cites it
851 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,535 citations in OpenAlex.
- Fecal microbiota transplantation in obesity: a comprehensive overview from basic research to clinical application.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- Bibliometric analysis of research trends and prospective directions ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Interactions between Gut Microbiota and Oral Antihyperglycemic Drugs: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Combining a diet rich in fermentable carbohydrates with metformin improves glycaemic control and reshapes the gut microbiota in people with prediabetes.Nature metabolism · 2025Trial
- Gastrointestinal symptoms in patients receiving imeglimin in combination with metformin: A post-hoc analysis of imeglimin clinical trial data.Journal of diabetes investigation · 2025 · on this mapTrial
- Efficacy of ETB-F01, Heat-KilledNutrients · 2024Trial
- Double-blinded, randomized clinical trial of Gegen Qinlian decoction pinpointsPrecision clinical medicine · 2024Trial
- Impact of metformin and Dysosmobacter welbionis on diet-induced obesity and diabetes: from clinical observation to preclinical intervention.Diabetologia · 2024Trial
- Unraveling the drug resistance web in IBD: The gut microbiota-immunity-epigenetics axis.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Article
- The gut microbiome and mitochondrial function in metabolism, immunity, and disease.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Article
- Review
- Probiotics in Cardiometabolic Diseases: Current Evidence, Postbiotic Perspectives, and Future Directions.Journal of microbiology and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Yakuchinone B Ameliorates DSS-Induced Colitis by Modulating the Gut Microbiota-Metabolite Axis.Nutrients · 2026Article
- The coordinated actions of metformin in the intestine and liver improves hyperglycemia.Cell reports · 2026Article
- Gut mucosal barrier: the frontline of bidirectional regulation of the gut-X axis.Medical review (2021) · 2026Review
- Targeting the gut microbiome: an integrated probiotic and prebiotic strategy for polycystic ovary syndrome management.Journal of ovarian research · 2026Review
- Microplastic Exposure Aggravates Cardiomyopathy Under Hemodynamic Stress Through the Gut-Heart Axis.Circulation · 2026Article
791 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRecent evidence indicates that the composition of the gut microbiota contributes to the development of metabolic disorders by affecting the physiology and metabolism of the host. Metformin is one of the most widely prescribed type 2 diabetes (T2D) therapeutic agents.
objectiveTo determine whether the antidiabetic effect of metformin is related to alterations of intestinal microbial composition.
designC57BL/6 mice, fed either a normal-chow diet or a high-fat diet (HFD), were treated with metformin for 6 weeks. The effect of metformin on the composition of the gut microbiota was assessed by analysing 16S rRNA gene sequences with 454 pyrosequencing. Adipose tissue inflammation was examined by flow cytometric analysis of the immune cells present in visceral adipose tissue (VAT).
resultsMetformin treatment significantly improved the glycaemic profile of HFD-fed mice. HFD-fed mice treated with metformin showed a higher abundance of the mucin-degrading bacterium Akkermansia than HFD-fed control mice. In addition, the number of mucin-producing goblet cells was significantly increased by metformin treatment (p<0.0001). Oral administration of Akkermansia muciniphila to HFD-fed mice without metformin significantly enhanced glucose tolerance and attenuated adipose tissue inflammation by inducing Foxp3 regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the VAT.
conclusionsModulation of the gut microbiota (by an increase in the Akkermansia spp. population) may contribute to the antidiabetic effects of metformin, thereby providing a new mechanism for the therapeutic effect of metformin in patients with T2D. This suggests that pharmacological manipulation of the gut microbiota in favour of Akkermansia may be a potential treatment for T2D.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.