ReviewNature reviews. Endocrinology2020
The therapeutic potential of FGF21 in metabolic diseases: from bench to clinic.
Review in Nature reviews. Endocrinology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 350 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
350 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 558 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pegbelfermin for reducing transaminase levels in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: a dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Beneficial effects of Huanglian Jiedu decoction ( ) on metabolic syndrome: a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2026Trial
- Effects of a two-week modified ketogenic diet on circulating lipoprotein subclasses, GDF15, and FGF21 in obese adults.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Trial
- A human milk oligosaccharide alters the microbiome, circulating hormones, and metabolites in a randomized controlled trial of older adults.Cell reports. Medicine · 2025Trial
- Resistant starch intake facilitates weight loss in humans by reshaping the gut microbiota.Nature metabolism · 2024Trial
- An FGF21-based fusion protein ameliorates mitochondrial dysfunction and promotes recovery post spinal cord injury.Materials today. Bio · 2026Article
- Exerkines in precision management of metabolic diseases.Chinese medical journal · 2026Review
- Fibroblast growth factors in ischemic stroke: Therapeutic potential and clinical challenges.Acta pharmacologica Sinica · 2026Review
- Unraveling the role of FGF21 in epilepsy disease: mechanistic insights and therapeutic Potential.Metabolic brain disease · 2026Review
- Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome as a mitochondrial systems disorder.Nature reviews. Nephrology · 2026Review
- Fenofibrate Protects Against Antipsychotic-Induced Hyperglycemia Through Weight Loss and FGF21 Dependent Mechanisms.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026Article
- Key Hepatokines Linking MASLD and Type 2 Diabetes: From Pathophysiological Mechanisms to Therapeutic Modulation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Exerkines in Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome: An Integrative Framework for Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications-A Narrative Review.Reviews in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- A multi-functional oral small molecule targeting energy and lipid metabolism to treat obesity and related metabolic disorders.Science advances · 2026Article
- Diet-responsive proteogenomic effects following short-term restriction of animal products in humans.Nature communications · 2026Article
- ASK1-Induced FGF21 Synthesis in the Liver Prevents Obesity in Mice.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2026Article
- Adipocyte-Derived Leptolin Enhances Energy Expenditure and Prevents Obesity.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- The evolving landscape of obesity pharmacotherapy.Nature reviews. Drug discovery · 2026Review
- Novel Endocrine Signaling Axis in Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome: Interactions and Therapeutic Potential of FGF21 and GDF15.Journal of cellular biochemistry · 2026Review
290 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a stress-inducible hormone that has important roles in regulating energy balance and glucose and lipid homeostasis through a heterodimeric receptor complex comprising FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) and β-klotho. Administration of FGF21 to rodents or non-human primates causes considerable pharmacological benefits on a cluster of obesity-related metabolic complications, including a reduction in fat mass and alleviation of hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, cardiovascular disorders and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, native FGF21 is unsuitable for clinical use owing to poor pharmacokinetic and biophysical properties. A large number of long-acting FGF21 analogues and agonistic monoclonal antibodies for the FGFR1-β-klotho receptor complexes have been developed. Several FGF21 analogues and mimetics have progressed to early phases of clinical trials in patients with obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and NASH. In these trials, the primary end points of glycaemic control have not been met, whereas substantial improvements were observed in dyslipidaemia, hepatic fat fractions and serum markers of liver fibrosis in patients with NASH. The complexity and divergence in pharmacology and pathophysiology of FGF21, interspecies variations in FGF21 biology, the possible existence of obesity-related FGF21 resistance and endogenous FGF21 inactivation enzymes represent major obstacles to clinical implementation of FGF21-based pharmacotherapies for metabolic diseases.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.