ReviewBritish journal of clinical pharmacology2019
The journey of metformin from glycaemic control to mTOR inhibition and the suppression of tumour growth.
Review in British journal of clinical pharmacology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 67 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
67 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 111 citations in OpenAlex.
- Metformin and thyroid carcinoma incidence and prognosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2022Pooled it
- Oncoviruses at the Crossroads of Ageing and Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and Key Signalling Pathways.Reviews in medical virology · 2026Review
- Article
- Study protocol: role of the blood-brain barrier in stress resilience: investigating new pathways towards Pharmacological augmentation of stress resilience (a PHASR-PP project study).BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Chemical and Molecular Strategies in Restoring Autophagic Flux in TDP-43 Proteinopathy.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Metformin Ameliorates Cognitive Deficits and Neuroinflammation in a Mouse Model of Familial Hypercholesterolemia.Neurochemical research · 2026Article
- Metformin modulates survival, oxidative stress, and gene expression in a high-sucrose Drosophila diabetes model.PloS one · 2026Article
- Tissue Iron Predicts Metformin Responsiveness in a Mouse Model and in Humans with Type 2 Diabetes.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2026Article
- Metformin and its derivatives in breast cancer: from glycaemic control to tumor-intrinsic pathways.Breast cancer research : BCR · 2025Review
- Antitumor Activity of Metformin in Combination with Binimetinib Against Melanoma Cells.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase Activation and Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 Inhibition: A Mechanistic Rationale for Anti-Aging Therapy in Type 2 Diabetes.Journal of clinical medicine research · 2025Review
- Effect of metformin on hypoxia-associated gene expression in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma in non-diabetic patients - a prospective window of opportunity study.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Article
- Repurposing Metformin in Precision Oncology: Mechanistic Insights, Biomarker-Guided Strategies, and Translational Imperatives.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Review
- Article
- Pten Loss Triggers Progressive Photoreceptor Degeneration in an mTORC1-Independent Manner.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Article
- Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: New Insights into Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Breakthroughs.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Metformin and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway: implications for cancer, cardiovascular, and central nervous system diseases.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Review
- Metformin in gestational diabetes: physiological actions and clinical applications.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2025Review
- Diabetes Associated With Maternally Inherited Diabetes and Deafness (MIDD): From Pathogenic Variant to Phenotype.Diabetes · 2025Review
- Aerobic Exercise and Metformin: A Dual Approach to Enhancing Glycemic Maintenance in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.Chonnam medical journal · 2025Review
7 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
3 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Our knowledge of the effect of metformin on human health is increasing. In addition to its ability to improve the control of hyperglycaemia, metformin has been shown to reduce the burden o,f ageing via effects on damaged DNA and the process of apoptosis. Studies have shown that metformin may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease through influences on body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and the progression of atherosclerosis. Studies also suggest that metformin may be beneficial for neuro-psychiatric disorders, cognitive impairment and in reducing the risk of dementia, erectile dysfunction and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In vivo and in vitro studies have shown that metformin has anti-cancer properties, and population studies have suggested that metformin may reduce the risk of cancer or improve cancer prognosis. It is thought that it exerts its anti-cancer effect through the inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway. Because of its effect on the mTOR pathway, there may be a role for metformin in slowing or reversing growth of life-threatening hamartomas in tuberous sclerosis complex.
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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.