PRKAA2 and diabetic cardiomyopathy: In addition, long-term treatment with metformin (AMPK activator) reduced apoptosis, increased autophagy, and preserved cardiac contractility in STZ-induced diabetic mice, suggesting AMPK's role in the switch between apoptosis and autophagy in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy [68, 142]; however, it remains to be elucidated.