ArticleBMC cardiovascular disorders2018
Metformin restores electrophysiology of small conductance calcium-activated potassium channels in the atrium of GK diabetic rats.
Article in BMC cardiovascular disorders, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Role of epicardial adipose tissue in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: An emerging molecular mechanism and therapeutic potential.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Review
- Antiarrhythmic effects of metformin.Heart rhythm O2 · 2024Review
- Effects of Electrical Remodeling on Atrial Fibrillation in Diabetes Mellitus.Reviews in cardiovascular medicine · 2023Review
- Fibrosis of the diabetic heart: Clinical significance, molecular mechanisms, and therapeutic opportunities.Advanced drug delivery reviews · 2021Review
- Ion Transport Modulators Differentially Modulate Inflammatory Responses in THP-1-Derived Macrophages.Journal of immunology research · 2021Article
- Effects of metformin on atrial and ventricular arrhythmias: evidence from cell to patient.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2020Review
- Metformin regulates adiponectin signalling in epicardial adipose tissue and reduces atrial fibrillation vulnerability.Journal of cellular and molecular medicine · 2020Article
- Metformin Inhibits Propofol-Induced Apoptosis of Mouse Hippocampal Neurons HT-22 Through Downregulating Cav-1.Drug design, development and therapy · 2020Article
- Repurposing Antidiabetic Drugs for Cardiovascular Disease.Frontiers in physiology · 2020Review
- Metformin protects against sevoflurane-induced neuronal apoptosis through the S1P1 and ERK signaling pathways.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2019Article
- Metformin regulates atrial SK2 and SK3 expression through inhibiting the PKC/ERK signaling pathway in type 2 diabetic rats.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2018Article
- Diabetes and Arrhythmias: Pathophysiology, Mechanisms and Therapeutic Outcomes.Frontiers in physiology · 2018Review
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSmall conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (SK channels) play a critical role in action potential repolarization in cardiomyocytes. Recently, the potential anti-arrhythmic effect of metformin in diabetic patients has been recognized, yet the underlying mechanism remains elusive.
methodsDiabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rats were untreated or treated with metformin (300 mg/kg/day) for 12 weeks, and age-matched Wistar rats were used as control (n = 6 per group). Electrocardiography, Hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson's trichome staining were performed to assess cardiac function, histology and fibrosis. The expression levels of the SK channels in the myocardium were determined by real-time PCR and Western blotting. The electrophysiology of the SK channels in the cardiomyocytes isolated from the three groups of rats was examined by patch clamp assay, with specific blockade of the SK channels with apamin.
resultsMetformin treatment significantly reduced cardiac fibrosis and alleviated arrhythmia in the diabetic rats. In the atrial myocytes from control, GK and metformin-treated GK rats, the expression of KCa2.2 (SK2 channel) was down-regulated and the expression of KCa2.3 (SK3 channel) was up-regulated in the atrium of GK rats as compared with that of control rats, and metformin reversed diabetes-induced alterations in atrial SK channel expression. Moreover, patch clamp assay revealed that the SK current was markedly reduced and the action potential duration was prolonged in GK atrial myocytes, and the SK channel function was partially restored in the atrial myocytes from metformin-treated GK rats.
conclusionsOur data suggests an involvement of the SK channels in the development of arrhythmia under diabetic conditions, and supports a potential beneficial effect of metformin on atrial electrophysiology.
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