ArticleScientific reports2017
The energy disruptor metformin targets mitochondrial integrity via modification of calcium flux in cancer cells.
Article in Scientific reports, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers.
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.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 65 citations in OpenAlex.
- InsP3R signaling and actomyosin-dependent mitochondrial dynamics play essential roles in mitochondrial stress-induced longevity.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Comparison of Metformin Combinations with Other Repurposed Drugs in the Treatment of Hamster Fibrosarcoma: A Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Small molecule-mediated activation of Notch signal transduction.Cell death & disease · 2026Article
- Metformin Enhances 2-Aminoethyl Dihydrogen Phosphate-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Apoptosis in Melanoma Cells.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Metformin Redirects Autophagy from Bulk Turnover to Mitochondrial Clearance.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Hypusination of the translation factor eIF5A regulates mitochondrial tRNA processing to promote prostate cancer aggressiveness.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Restoring Mitochondrial Homeostasis: Therapeutic Strategies for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Chronic administration of metformin exerts cytostatic and cytotoxic effects via the PP2A-GSK3β-MCL-1 pathway by inhibiting the tmCLIC1 membrane protein in glioblastoma-initiating cells.Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research : CR · 2025Article
- InsP3R signaling mediates mitochondrial stress-induced longevity through actomyosin-dependent mitochondrial dynamics.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Mitochondrial CaJournal of cellular physiology · 2025Review
- Dysregulation of Mitochondrial Function in Cancer Cells.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Biguanides antithetically regulate tumor properties by the dose-dependent mitochondrial reprogramming-driven c-Src pathway.Cell reports. Medicine · 2025Article
- In vitro Evaluation of Zinc Oxide-Metformin Folic Acid Nanocomposite as a Targeted Drug Delivery System for Cancer Therapy.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2025Article
- Metformin and its Nanoformulations in Cancer Prevention and Therapy.Current pharmaceutical design · 2025Review
- Metformin and its potential influence on cell fate decision between apoptosis and senescence in cancer, with a special emphasis on glioblastoma.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Review
- Breast adipose tissue-derived extracellular vesicles from obese women alter tumor cell metabolism.EMBO reports · 2023Article
- Electro-metabolic coupling in multi-chambered vascularized human cardiac organoids.Nature biomedical engineering · 2023Article
- Mitochondrial metabolism: a predictive biomarker of radiotherapy efficacy and toxicity.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Review
- Action Mechanism of Metformin and Its Application in Hematological Malignancy Treatments: A Review.Biomolecules · 2023Review
- Metformin is a metabolic modulator and radiosensitiser in rectal cancer.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
22 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Mitochondrial integrity is critical for the regulation of cellular energy and apoptosis. Metformin is an energy disruptor targeting complex I of the respiratory chain. We demonstrate that metformin induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, calcium release from the ER and subsequent uptake of calcium into the mitochondria, thus leading to mitochondrial swelling. Metformin triggers the disorganization of the cristae and inner mitochondrial membrane in several cancer cells and tumors. Mechanistically, these alterations were found to be due to calcium entry into the mitochondria, because the swelling induced by metformin was reversed by the inhibition of mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU). We also demonstrated that metformin inhibits the opening of mPTP and induces mitochondrial biogenesis. Altogether, the inhibition of mPTP and the increase in mitochondrial biogenesis may account for the poor pro-apoptotic effect of metformin in cancer cells.
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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.