ArticleNature communications2018
Fibroblast growth factor 21 increases insulin sensitivity through specific expansion of subcutaneous fat.
Article in Nature communications, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 106 papers.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
106 citing papers in PubMed, 174 citations in OpenAlex.
- Short Term Isocaloric Ketogenic Diet Modulates NLRP3 InflammasomeFrontiers in immunology · 2022Trial
- Immune Cell-Stratified Regulatory Contexts Associated With BMI-Related Multi-System Disease Risk: A Cell-Stratified Mendelian Randomization Study Using Single-Cell eQTL Data.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2026Article
- Adipose FGF21 signalling mediates the anti-senescence effects of protein restriction.The Journal of physiology · 2026Article
- OAF Blocks SIAH1-Mediated Degradation of SCPX, a Therapeutic Strategy for MASLD.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Polyphenols as Systems Modulators of the Gut-Brain-Liver Axis: A Narrative Review of Neuro-Metabolic and Immunomodulatory Networks.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2026Review
- Influence of Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 on Delayed Glycemic Improvement Following Acute Exercise in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.Diabetes & metabolism journal · 2026Article
- The role of fibroblast growth factor 21 in diabetes and metabolic dysfunction.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- Perivascular adipokine signaling in abdominal aortic aneurysm: cardiometabolic drivers of vascular remodeling and translational opportunities.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2026Review
- Exercise-Induced Myokines in Obesity-Related Metabolic Disorders and Cardiovascular Protection: A Narrative Review.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Intersecting Molecular Pathways in Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes Mellitus: Emerging Roles of Inflammation and Therapeutics.Diabetes/metabolism research and reviews · 2026Review
- Distinct precursor landscape of subcutaneous and visceral fat in development and aging.Cell reports · 2026Review
- Article
- FGF21 Blunts Cardiac Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Promoting Autophagic Flux Via Stat1/Irgm1 Pathway.Journal of cardiovascular translational research · 2025Article
- Melinjo-derived Gnetin C restores metabolic balance via dual adipose and hepatic effects in high-fat diet mice.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Exercise training enhances myokine release and reduces brain insulin resistance: insights into muscle-CNS metabolic cross-talk.Metabolic brain disease · 2025Review
- High-Fat Diet Differentially Regulates Fibroblast Growth Factor Expression in Metabolic Tissues of Young and Aged Male Mice.Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2025Article
- Associations among serum FGF21 levels, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: mediation analyses in a Chinese community-based population.Endocrine connections · 2025Article
- Development of FGF21 Mutant with Potent Cardioprotective Effects in T2D Mice via FGFR1-AMPK-Mediated Inhibition of Oxidative Stress.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Levels Are Associated With Perception and Neural Responses to Sweetness in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.Diabetes & metabolism journal · 2025Article
- FGF21 deletion mildly exacerbates hepatic dysfunction in GAN diet and alcohol fed rats.npj metabolic health and disease · 2025Article
46 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Although the pharmacological effects of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) are well-documented, uncertainty about its role in regulating excessive energy intake remains. Here, we show that FGF21 improves systemic insulin sensitivity by promoting the healthy expansion of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). Serum FGF21 levels positively correlate with the SAT area in insulin-sensitive obese individuals. FGF21 knockout mice (FGF21KO) show less SAT mass and are more insulin-resistant when fed a high-fat diet. Replenishment of recombinant FGF21 to a level equivalent to that in obesity restores SAT mass and reverses insulin resistance in FGF21KO, but not in adipose-specific βklotho knockout mice. Moreover, transplantation of SAT from wild-type to FGF21KO mice improves insulin sensitivity in the recipients. Mechanistically, circulating FGF21 upregulates adiponectin in SAT, accompanied by an increase of M2 macrophage polarization. We propose that elevated levels of endogenous FGF21 in obesity serve as a defense mechanism to protect against systemic insulin resistance.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.