Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34163481›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in immunology2021

Metformin, Macrophage Dysfunction and Atherosclerosis.

Xiaojun Feng, Wenxu Chen, Xiayun Ni, Peter J Little, Suowen Xu, Liqin Tang, Jianping Weng

Open access · goldFull text readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 95 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
95citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
8.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

95 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 136 citations in OpenAlex.

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  11. Distinct types of regulated cell death in atherosclerosis.Journal of pharmaceutical analysis · 2026
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35 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Xiaojun FengDepartment of Pharmacy, the First Affiliated Hospital of University of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, China.
Wenxu ChenDepartment of Pharmacy, the First Affiliated Hospital of University of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, China.
Xiayun NiDepartment of Pharmacy, the First Affiliated Hospital of University of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, China.
Peter J LittleSunshine Coast Health Institute, University of the Sunshine Coast, Birtinya, QLD, Australia.
Suowen XuDepartment of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China( USTC), Hefei, China.
Liqin TangDepartment of Pharmacy, the First Affiliated Hospital of University of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei, China.
Jianping WengDepartment of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China( USTC), Hefei, China.
University of Science and Technology of China · CNUniversity of the Sunshine Coast · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metformin is one of the most widely prescribed hypoglycemic drugs and has the potential to treat many diseases. More and more evidence shows that metformin can regulate the function of macrophages in atherosclerosis, including reducing the differentiation of monocytes and inhibiting the inflammation, oxidative stress, polarization, foam cell formation and apoptosis of macrophages. The mechanisms by which metformin regulates the function of macrophages include AMPK, AMPK independent targets, NF-κB, ABCG5/8, Sirt1, FOXO1/FABP4 and HMGB1. On the basis of summarizing these studies, we further discussed the future research directions of metformin: single-cell RNA sequencing, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), epigenetic modification, and metformin-based combination drugs. In short, macrophages play an important role in a variety of diseases, and improving macrophage dysfunction may be an important mechanism for metformin to expand its pleiotropic pharmacological profile. In addition, the combination of metformin with other drugs that improve the function of macrophages (such as SGLT2 inhibitors, statins and IL-1β inhibitors/monoclonal antibodies) may further enhance the pleiotropic therapeutic potential of metformin in conditions such as atherosclerosis, obesity, cancer, dementia and aging.

Indexed as

Disease SusceptibilityAnimalsAtherosclerosisBiomarkersCardiometabolic Risk FactorsCell PlasticityDiabetes ComplicationsDiabetes MellitusEnergy MetabolismHumansMacrophage ActivationMacrophagesMetforminSignal TransductionBiomarkersMetforminatherosclerosiscombination medicationmacrophagemetforminNETs

Identifiers

PMID34163481
PMCPMC8215340
OpenAlexW3169843530

What OpenQuestion holds

Textfull text, public
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.