ReviewCell metabolism2014
Metformin: from mechanisms of action to therapies.
Review in Cell metabolism, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 800 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
A Randomized Phase 3 Trial of Metformin in Patients Initiating Androgen Deprivation Therapy as Prevention and Intervention of Metabolic Syndrome: The Prime Study
A Phase II Exploratory Clinical Study Investigating the Geroprotective Effect of Metformin in Middle-aged and Elderly People
Who cites it
800 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 1,443 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of metformin on bone turnover markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.Archives of osteoporosis · 2026Pooled it
- Metformin in non-diabetic patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMC nephrology · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring multifaceted roles of metformin in therapeutic applications, mechanistic insights, and innovations in drug delivery systems across biological contexts: a systematic review.Drug delivery and translational research · 2025Pooled it
- Metformin as a potential adjunct in the treatment of mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study.Internal and emergency medicine · 2026Trial
- Circulating Profiles of the Bile Acid Metabolomics in Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Treated With Metformin or Canagliflozin.Pharmacotherapy · 2026Trial
- Adjuvant potential of metformin with standard anti-seizure medications in persons with active epilepsy: a randomised controlled trial.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Trial
- The effect of vildagliptin versus metformin on hepatic steatosis in type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized controlled trial.BMC pharmacology & toxicology · 2024Trial
- Satellite cell attrition and skeletal muscle aging.Bone research · 2026Review
- Metformin sensitizes HepG2 liver cancer cells to doxorubicin through epithelial to mesenchymal transition and microRNA regulation.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2026Article
- GLP-1 receptor agonists for people with type 2 diabetes and peripheral artery disease: reducing uncertainty in clinical practice.Endocrine · 2026Review
- A metabolic boost to mRNA vaccines.Nature materials · 2026Article
- Protective Effects of Metformin and Memantine Against Arsenic-Induced Neurotoxicity: Insights from In-Silico and In-Vivo Studies.Biological trace element research · 2026Article
- Review
- Effects of Metformin on Clinical Outcomes After Acute Ischemic Stroke in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- From Insulin Resistance to Mitochondrial Failure: A Staged Model of Impaired Metabolic Flexibility in Schizophrenia.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- AMPK-Directed Therapeutics for MASLD: Mechanistic Rationale, Activator Classes, and Clinical Translation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Oxidative Stress as a Pathophysiological Core of Obesity: Preclinical Evidence for Antioxidant-Based Therapy Strategies.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- A Combination ofNutrients · 2026Article
- Recent advances in methotrexate pharmacology and potential therapeutic uses in age-related cardiometabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.Pharmacological reviews · 2026Review
- Radiotherapy followed by metformin neoadjuvant therapy drives superior pancreatic cancer ferroptosis and augments anti-tumor immunity.Fundamental research · 2026Article
740 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Metformin is currently the first-line drug treatment for type 2 diabetes. Besides its glucose-lowering effect, there is interest in actions of the drug of potential relevance to cardiovascular diseases and cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms of action remain elusive. Convincing data place energy metabolism at the center of metformin's mechanism of action in diabetes and may also be of importance in cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Metformin-induced activation of the energy-sensor AMPK is well documented, but may not account for all actions of the drug. Here, we summarize current knowledge about the different AMPK-dependent and AMPK-independent mechanisms underlying metformin action.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.