Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42079027›Full record

ArticleIranian journal of basic medical sciences2026

Metformin mitigates oxidative stress and prevents apoptosis by modulating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in a rat model of testicular ischemia/reperfusion.

Zhi-Mei Li, Ren-Yuan Chang, Rui Li, Jing-Bao Wang, Ai-Ling Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Iranian journal of basic medical sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the 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.

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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

5 authors.

Zhi-Mei LiDepartment of Pharmacology, The First Hospital of Yulin, Yulin, 718000 Shaanxi, China.
Ren-Yuan ChangDepartment of Pharmacology, The First Hospital of Yulin, Yulin, 718000 Shaanxi, China.
Rui LiDepartment of Pharmacology, The First Hospital of Yulin, Yulin, 718000 Shaanxi, China.
Jing-Bao WangDepartment of Basic Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004 Ningxia, China.
Ai-Ling ChenDepartment of Pharmacology, The First People's Hospital of Yinchuan, Yinchuan, 750004 Ningxia, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of metformin on testicular ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats. Materials and Methods: Eighteen male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: Sham group, I/R group, and Metformin (Met) group (n=6 per group). The I/R model was established by rotating the left testis 720° clockwise and fixing it for 1 hr, followed by reperfusion for 4 hr. Rats in the Met group were intraperitoneally injected with 300 mg/kg metformin for 30 min before reperfusion. In contrast, the Sham group underwent a similar surgical procedure without testicular rotation. Histopathological examination, biochemical assays (MDA and SOD), TUNEL assay for germ cell apoptosis, and Western blot analysis for Nrf2, HO-1, and Keap1 protein expressions were performed. Results: Compared with the Sham group, the I/R group exhibited severe testicular tissue damage, including seminiferous tubule atrophy, disordered spermatogenic epithelium, increased MDA levels, decreased SOD activity, elevated germ cell apoptosis index, up-regulated Nrf2 and HO-1 expressions, and down-regulated Keap1 expression. In contrast, pretreatment with metformin in the Met group significantly ameliorated these pathological changes, as evidenced by improved testicular histology, reduced MDA concentration, increased SOD activity, decreased apoptosis, and reversal of the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and Keap1 compared with the I/R group. Conclusion: These results indicate that metformin exerts a protective effect against testicular I/R injury, which may be associated with its anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic properties, and regulation of the Nrf2/ HO-1pathway.

Indexed as

Anti-apoptoticAnti-oxidantHeme oxygenase – 1Ischemia reperfusion injury Kelch-Like ECH-associated- protein 1MetforminNF-E2-Related factor 2

Identifiers

PMID42079027
PMCPMC13135176

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.