Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41928890›Full record

Trial reportFrontiers in endocrinology2026

Metformin increases glycolysis and the stress-induced cytokine GDF15 but not FGF21 in humans.

Kristoffer J Kolnes, Pauline M Møller, Rikke Kruse, Mette Marie H Christensen, Rasmus Kjøbsted, Martin Hey-Mogensen, Birgitte Andersen, Aase Handberg, Kurt Højlund

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Frontiers in endocrinology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01400191 (The Inhibitory Effect of Metformin on Gluconeogenesis in Relation to Polymorphisms in Organic Cation Transporter 1), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT01400191 phase4completednot on this map

The Inhibitory Effect of Metformin on Gluconeogenesis in Relation to Polymorphisms in Organic Cation Transporter 1 (OCT1) in Healthy Volunteers

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of Southern DenmarkRan2012 to 2012Enrolled37ConditionsPharmacogenetics of MetforminArmsMetformin
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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

9 authors.

Kristoffer J Kolnes *Steno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
Pauline M Møller *Steno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
Rikke KruseSteno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
Mette Marie H ChristensenDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.
Rasmus KjøbstedAugust Krogh Section for Molecular Physiology, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Martin Hey-MogensenGlobal Drug Discovery, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark.
Birgitte AndersenGlobal Drug Discovery, Novo Nordisk A/S, Måløv, Denmark.
Aase HandbergDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark.
Kurt HøjlundSteno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Metformin lowers glucose by acting on the liver and the gastrointestinal tract and may reduce body weight by increasing circulating levels of the stress-induced cytokine GDF15. The tissue responsible for the release of GDF15 and whether this is paralleled by the induction of another, mainly liver derived, stress-responsive cytokine, FGF21, remains unclear. Objective: We examined the effect of metformin on GDF15 and FGF21 in humans and in intestinal cells Methods: In a randomized, cross-over trial, 34 healthy individuals completed a 42-h fast twice, either with or without prior treatment with metformin for a week. Glucose metabolism was assessed using [3- Results: Metformin increased glucose utilization (p=8.9x10 Conclusions: The metformin-induced increase in serum GDF15, but not the liver-derived FGF21, in humans is consistent with the actions of metformin in human intestinal cells Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier NCT01400191.

Indexed as

Fibroblast Growth FactorsGlycolysisGrowth Differentiation Factor 15Hypoglycemic AgentsMetforminStress, PhysiologicalAdultCaco-2 CellsCross-Over StudiesFemaleGlucoseHumansMaleYoung AdultFGF21 protein, humanfibroblast growth factor 21Fibroblast Growth FactorsGDF15 protein, humanGlucoseGrowth Differentiation Factor 15Hypoglycemic AgentsMetforminFGF21GDF15glycolysisintestinemetforminmitochondrial respiration

Identifiers

PMID41928890
PMCPMC13038576

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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.