Concurrent administration of 200 mg/kg/day metformin with 100 mg/kg/day L-arginine (L-A), 0.25 mg/kg/day zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), 5 mg/kg/day DL-propargylglycine (DL-PAG), or 10 mg/kg/day chloroquine (CQ) i.p. for 6 successive days before induction of ischemia and promptly at the onset of reperfusion to rats significantly increased the serum ALT (Fig. 1A) and AST (Fig. 1B) levels as compared to animals treated with metformin only. This evidence concerns the gene GPT and ischemia.