Evidence mapPaperPMID 34064363Full record

SynthesisCells2021

AICAr, a Widely Used AMPK Activator with Important AMPK-Independent Effects: A Systematic Review.

Dora Višnjić, Hrvoje Lalić, Vilma Dembitz, Barbara Tomić, Tomislav Smoljo

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Cells, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 79 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
79citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
7.4field-weighted citation impact, top 2% 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

79 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 141 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. A bitter melon natural compound ameliorates the myotonic dystrophy type 1 skeletal muscle phenotype in a sex-specific manner.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2026
    Article
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  6. Article
  7. Article
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  9. Article
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  15. Signaling pathways and potential therapeutic agents in trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity.Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 2026
    Review
  16. Neuroprotective effects ofFrontiers in molecular biosciences · 2026
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Review

19 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

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Dora VišnjićLaboratory of Cell Biology, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Hrvoje LalićLaboratory of Cell Biology, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID 0000-0003-4078-4439
Vilma DembitzLaboratory of Cell Biology, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID 0000-0002-9463-253X
Barbara TomićLaboratory of Cell Biology, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID 0000-0002-3705-7372
Tomislav SmoljoLaboratory of Cell Biology, Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.ORCID 0000-0002-4067-5649
University of Zagreb · HR

Funding

Hrvatska Zaklada za Znanost DOK-2018-01-9599Hrvatska Zaklada za Znanost DOK-2020-01-2873Hrvatska Zaklada za Znanost IP-2016-06-4581Scientific Centre of Excellence for Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience GA KK01.1.1.01.0007
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAr) has been one of the most commonly used pharmacological modulators of AMPK activity. The majority of early studies on the role of AMPK, both in the physiological regulation of metabolism and in cancer pathogenesis, were based solely on the use of AICAr as an AMPK-activator. Even with more complex models of AMPK downregulation and knockout being introduced, AICAr remained a regular starting point for many studies focusing on AMPK biology. However, there is an increasing number of studies showing that numerous AICAr effects, previously attributed to AMPK activation, are in fact AMPK-independent. This review aims to give an overview of the present knowledge on AMPK-dependent and AMPK-independent effects of AICAr on metabolism, hypoxia, exercise, nucleotide synthesis, and cancer, calling for caution in the interpretation of AICAr-based studies in the context of understanding AMPK signaling pathway.

Indexed as

Aminoimidazole CarboxamideAMP-Activated Protein Kinase KinasesAnimalsCarcinogenesisCell CycleEnergy MetabolismHumansHypoglycemic AgentsMyocytes, CardiacProtein KinasesRibonucleotidesAICA ribonucleotideAminoimidazole CarboxamideAMP-Activated Protein Kinase KinasesHypoglycemic AgentsProtein KinasesRibonucleotidesacadesineAICArAMPKcancercell cycleexerciseleukemiametabolismpurinepyrimidine

Identifiers

PMID34064363
PMCPMC8147799
OpenAlexW3158645496

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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 Socratic graph.