ArticleScientific reports2020
Metformin reduces saturated fatty acid-induced lipid accumulation and inflammatory response by restoration of autophagic flux in endothelial cells.
Article in Scientific reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers.
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
38 citing papers in PubMed, 68 citations in OpenAlex.
- Inflammation in atherosclerosis: Drivers, mechanisms and therapies.Acta pharmaceutica Sinica. B · 2026Review
- Spatial anchoring of lipid metabolism shapes immune fate in the tumor microenvironment.Lipids in health and disease · 2026Review
- Neuromodulation using Bioelectronics-enabled therapies to combat insulin resistance and its comorbidities.Journal of diabetes and metabolic disorders · 2026Review
- Obesity- and Glucose-Dependent Differential Autophagy Marker Expression in Adipose Tissues and Adipocytes.Obesity science & practice · 2026Article
- Mitochondrial-Endothelial Crosstalk in Cardiometabolic Disease: Mechanisms and Translational Opportunities in the Multi-omics Era.Reviews in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- Molecular Interplay between hypertension and dyslipidemia in cardiovascular pathogenesis: toward precision-based therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- Targeting autophagy in dysfunctional tumor vasculature.iScience · 2025Review
- Integration of artificial intelligence and high-content screening enabled identification of drugs for long-term treatment of cerebral cavernous malformation disease.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Lipid droplet dynamics in type 2 diabetes and its complications: pathophysiological insights and therapeutic options.Lipids in health and disease · 2025Review
- Review
- Severe Insulin Resistance Syndromes: Clinical Spectrum and Management.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Targeting the Electron Transport System for Enhanced Longevity.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- TRPγ regulates lipid metabolism througheLife · 2025Article
- Treatment of endothelial cell dysfunction in atherosclerosis: a new perspective integrating traditional and modern approaches.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Review
- Exosomes biogenesis was increased in metformin-treated human ovary cancer cells; possibly to mediate resistance.Cancer cell international · 2024Article
- Article
- Repurposing Metformin for the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation: Current Insights.Vascular health and risk management · 2024Review
- Endothelial dysfunction in vascular complications of diabetes: a comprehensive review of mechanisms and implications.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Review
- Polymorphisms of OCT1 and metformin effects in Iraqi women with polycystic ovary syndrome in Karbala city.International journal of biochemistry and molecular biology · 2024Article
- Lipidomics Profiling of Metformin-Induced Changes in Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Insights and Biomarker Potential.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 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
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Autophagy, an integral part of the waste recycling process, plays an important role in cellular physiology and pathophysiology. Impaired autophagic flux causes ectopic lipid deposition, which is defined as the accumulation of lipids in non-adipose tissue. Ectopic lipid accumulation is observed in patients with cardiometabolic syndrome, including obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular complications. Metformin is the first line of treatment for type 2 diabetes, and one of the underlying mechanisms for the anti-diabetic effect of metformin is mediated by the stimulation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Because the activation of AMPK is crucial for the initiation of autophagy, we hypothesize that metformin reduces the accumulation of lipid droplets by increasing autophagic flux in vascular endothelial cells. Incubation of vascular endothelial cells with saturated fatty acid (SFA) increased the accumulation of lipid droplets and impaired autophagic flux. We observed that the accumulation of lipid droplets was reduced, and the autophagic flux was enhanced by treatment with metformin. The knock-down of AMPKα by using siRNA blunted the effect of metformin. Furthermore, treatment with SFA or inhibition of autophagy increased leukocyte adhesion, whereas treatment with metformin decreased the SFA-induced leukocyte adhesion. The results suggest a novel mechanism by which metformin protects vascular endothelium from SFA-induced ectopic lipid accumulation and pro-inflammatory responses. In conclusion, improving autophagic flux may be a therapeutic strategy to protect endothelial function from dyslipidemia and diabetic complications.
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.