Metformin attenuated sepsis-associated liver injury and inflammatory response in aged mice

Sepsis-associated liver injury is with poor survival in intensive care units. Metformin is well known for its therapeutic effects; however, its impact on treating liver injury due to sepsis remains poorly understood. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of metformin on aged mice suffering from sepsis-associated liver injury. Male C57BL/6 J mice aged (18-19 months) were divided into 3 groups: 1) intraperitoneal injection of sterile normal saline (C group), 12.5 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce sepsis-associated liver injury (LPS group), and 25 mg/kg metformin (MET) at 1 h after LPS injection (MET group). After 24 h, blood samples and liver tissue were collected for biochemical analysis. Histological assays revealed significantly elevated inflammatory infiltration and apoptosis in the liver, while metformin was found to relieve these aberrant features. The percentage of apoptotic cells decreased after metformin treatment (