Research Progress of Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 in Fibrotic Diseases

Abstract

Fibrosis is a common pathological outcome of chronic injuries, characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components in organs, as seen in most chronic inflammatory diseases. At present, there is an increasing tendency of the morbidity and mortality of diseases caused by fibrosis, but the treatment measures for fibrosis are still limited. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) belongs to the FGF19 subfamily, which also has the name endocrine FGFs because of their endocrine manner. In recent years, it has been found that plasma FGF21 level is significantly correlated with fibrosis progression. Furthermore, there is evidence that FGF21 has a pronounced antifibrotic effect in a variety of fibrotic diseases. This review summarizes the biological effects of FGF21 and discusses what is currently known about this factor and fibrosis disease, highlighting emerging insights that warrant further research.

Linking bone marrow fat with decreased bone mineral density among Indian patients with osteoporotic fracture

“…FGF21 is a member of the FGF19 subfamily; it is primarily secreted from the liver under physiological conditions and other tissues, including adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, heart and kidney. Several studies have shown that high-levels of serum FGF21 have association with the loss of bone mineral density in adults and postmenopausal women [ 15 ]. Similarly, our study populations of both the groups were identified with higher serum levels of FGF21 and a statistical significant difference (p = 0.041) was observed between Group I and Group II.…”

Brown adipose tissue transplantation improves skin fibrosis in localized scleroderma

“…BAT has less oil content, which is beneficial for reducing the inflammatory response after transplantation. A variety of batokines from BAT have been shown to have strong anti‐fibrotic effects, such as fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), 23 β‐hydroxybutyric acid, 16 and the cold‐inducible complex general transcription factor II‐I repeat domain‐containing protein 1 14 . Therefore, BAT grafting alone may be superior to WAT in treating LoS.…”

The menopause-related gut microbiome: associations with metabolomics, inflammatory protein markers, and cardiometabolic health in women with HIV

“…74 As an anti-inflammatory cytokine, elevated FGF-21 may be considered as a compensatory response in early stage of metabolic disease. 75 It is worth noting that Firmicutes bacterium CAG:176, Firmicutes bacterium CAG:176_59_8, and Clostridium species CAG:678 were positively related to some glycerophospholipids and β-glucuronidase, while negatively related to triacylglycerols, imidazolepropionic acid, and FGF-21, suggesting that their depletion during menopause may adversely impact host metabolism. Furthermore, we demonstrated that depletion of F. prausnitzii and A. elongatum may partially mediate the relationship between menopause and depletion of certain phosphatidylcholine plasmalogens, providing a new potential mechanism for menopause-related lipidomic changes.…”

“…FGF-21 is also regarded as an independent predictor of severe fatty liver in people with HIV 74 . As an anti-inflammatory cytokine, elevated FGF-21 may be considered as a compensatory response in early stage of metabolic disease 75 . It is worth noting that Firmicutes bacterium CAG:176 , Firmicutes bacterium CAG:176_59_8 , and Clostridium species CAG:678 were positively related to some glycerophospholipids and β-glucuronidase, while negatively related to triacylglycerols, imidazolepropionic acid, and FGF-21, suggesting that their depletion during menopause may adversely impact host metabolism.…”