Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25413451›Full record

ArticleMetabolic brain disease2015

Pre-treatment with metformin activates Nrf2 antioxidant pathways and inhibits inflammatory responses through induction of AMPK after transient global cerebral ischemia.

Ghorbangol Ashabi, Leila Khalaj, Fariba Khodagholi, Mahdi Goudarzvand, Alireza Sarkaki

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Article in Metabolic brain disease, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 130 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
130citing papers in PubMed
9.7field-weighted citation impact, top 2% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

130 citing papers in PubMed, 250 citations in OpenAlex.

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  7. Oxidative Stress and Its Role in Vascular Damage and Atherosclerosis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
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  9. Metformin Beyond Glycemic Control: Cardiovascular Protection and Diabetes Prevention.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2026
    Review
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70 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Ghorbangol AshabiDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Jundishapour Medical Sciences University, Ahwaz, Iran.
Leila Khalaj
Fariba Khodagholi
Mahdi Goudarzvand
Alireza Sarkaki
Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences · IRAlborz University of Medical SciencesJahrom University of Medical Sciences · IRShahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences · IR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Global cerebral ischemia arises in patients who have a variety of clinical conditions including cardiac arrest, shock and asphyxia. In spite of advances in understanding of the brain ischemia and stroke etiology, therapeutic approaches to improve ischemic injury still remain limited. It has been established that metformin can attenuate cell death in cerebral ischemia. One of the main functions of metformin is proposed to be conducted via AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)-dependent pathway in the experimental cerebral ischemia model. It is also established that metformin can suppress inflammation and activate Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) pathways in neurons. In the current study, the role of metformin in regulating inflammatory and antioxidant pathways in the global cerebral ischemia was investigated. Our results indicated that pretreatment of rats by metformin attenuated cellular levels of nuclear factor-κB, Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha and Cyclooxygenase-2 which are considered as three important proteins involved in the inflammation pathway. Pretreatment by metformin increased the level of Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1 in the hippocampus of ischemic rats compared with untreated ischemic group. Moreover, pretreatment by metformin enhanced the level of glutathione and catalase activities compared with them in ischemic group. Such protective changes detected by metformin pretreatment were reversed by injecting compound c, an AMPK inhibitor. These findings suggested that metformin might protect cells through modulating inflammatory and antioxidant pathways via induction of AMPK. However, more experimental and clinical trial studies regarding neuroprotective potential of metformin and the involved mechanisms, especially in the context of cerebral ischemic injuries, are necessary.

Indexed as

AMP-Activated Protein KinasesAnimalsAntioxidantsEnzyme InductionInflammation MediatorsIschemic Attack, TransientMaleMetforminNF-E2-Related Factor 2RatsSignal TransductionAMP-Activated Protein KinasesAntioxidantsInflammation MediatorsMetforminNfe2l2 protein, ratNF-E2-Related Factor 2

Identifiers

PMID25413451
OpenAlexW2077852011

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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.