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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Early Detection of Drug-Induced Renal Hemodynamic Dysfunction Using Sonographic Technology in Rats
Published on: March 11, 2016
Metformin Attenuates Cyclosporine A-induced Renal Fibrosis in Rats
Can-Xiang Lin1,2, Yan Li3, Shi Liang2
1Research Center of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Background:
The aim of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of metformin in preventing cyclosporine A (CsA)-induced nephrotoxicity.
Methods:
Three groups of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with vehicle, CsA, and CsA + metformin for 4 weeks following 1 week on low sodium diet, respectively. At the end of treatment, all animals were euthanized, and the samples of kidney, urine, and blood were collected for functional, morphological, and molecular biological evaluation.
Results:
Metformin effectively prevented CsA-induced renal dysfunction with increased creatinine clearance rate and reduced blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine, as well as less proteinuria in comparison to the CsA group. Morphologically, metformin ameliorated CsA-induced renal fibrosis and tissue collapse in the areas of arteries, glomeruli, and proximal tubules. We further demonstrated that the antifibrotic effects of metformin in kidneys treated with CsA were associated with decreased phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2).
Conclusions:
In conclusion, our study revealed new therapeutic potential of metformin to attenuate calcineurin inhibitor-induced renal fibrosis, which was closely related to the suppression of MEK/ERK1/2 pathway.
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