STAT3 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A previous study demonstrated that AMPK activation by metformin inhibited STAT3 signaling, and thus inhibited HCC cells growth in vitro and in vivo.23 Another study has also reported that metformin, an AMPK activator, induced growth inhibition through inactivation of Stat3‐Bcl‐2 pathway in ESCC tumor cells.44 However, whether the AMPK‐STAT3 axis participates in NaSal‐mediated apoptosis, cell proliferation, and inflammatory cytokines is still unknown in our work, and further study is warranted.