Fig. (1).

The protective effect of metformin on EPCs in diabetes. Early (eOECs) and late (lOECs) EPCs play a synergistic role in vascular repair and regeneration. eOECs are involved in vascular repair through the paracrine regulation of neovascularization, while lOECs respond to these paracrine signals and incorporate them into the site of injury. Diabetes and hyperglyacemia affect the numbers and functions of EPCs. Treatment with metformin restores some of these functions. *supra-pharmacological concentrations. Figure created with BioRender.