ArticleUnited European gastroenterology journal2024
Fibroblast growth factor 21 is a hepatokine involved in MASLD progression.
Article in United European gastroenterology journal, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Circulating Fibroblast Growth Factor-21 in Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Current obesity reports · 2025Pooled it
- Review
- Interorgan Crosstalk in MASLD: A Narrative Review.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- Deep behavioral phenotyping reveals novel features in a mouse model of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Screening and validation of rabbit monoclonal antibody pair against human FGF21 for human plasma FGF21 high sensitivity bioanalysis.iScience · 2026Article
- Gestational diabetes as an inter-generational cardiometabolic risk factor: spotlight on emerging exerkines.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2026Review
- Diagnostic Value of Serum Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Combined with Fibrosis-4 Index for Hepatic Fibrosis in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.The Turkish journal of gastroenterology : the official journal of Turkish Society of Gastroenterology · 2026Article
- GCKR genetic variants and circulating FGF21 identify a metabolic risk signature in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.BMC gastroenterology · 2026Article
- Hepatocyte SLCO4C1 is a cAMP uptake transporter for inhibiting lipogenesis and a therapeutic target for MASLD.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Mechanistic insights into the liver-brain axis during chronic liver disease.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2026Review
- Biomarkers for early identification of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD): a narrative review.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2026Article
- Heart-liver co-management: epidemiology, mechanisms, and novel therapeutic approaches for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and coronary artery disease.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2026Review
- Triglyceride-lowering therapies for hepatic steatosis: mechanisms, efficacy, and clinical perspectives.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- The liver-gut-brain axis in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: bidirectional communication, clinical implications, and future perspectives.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Role of ChREBP-PPARα-FGF21 Axis in Metabolic Dysfunction of MASLD.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- TNAP dephosphorylates phosphocholine and phosphoethanolamine and participates in triglyceride transport from the liver to the bloodstream.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Endoscopic Bariatric Therapies for Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease: Mechanistic Insights and Metabolic Implications.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Adipokine and Hepatokines in Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD): Current and Developing Trends.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Triglyceride-glucose-waist circumference index: A powerful tool for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.World journal of hepatology · 2025Review
- Article
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Authors and funding
29 authors.
Funding
Abstract
aimWe aimed to assess the role of FGF21 in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) at a multi-scale level.
methodsWe used human MASLD pathology samples for FGF21 gene expression analyses (qPCR and RNAseq), serum to measure circulating FGF21 levels and DNA for genotyping the FGF21 rs838133 variant in both estimation and validation cohorts. A hepatocyte-derived cell line was exposed to free fatty acids at different timepoints. Finally, C57BL/6J mice were fed a high-fat and choline-deficient diet (CDA-HFD) for 16 weeks to assess hepatic FGF21 protein expression and FGF21 levels by ELISA.
resultsA significant upregulation in FGF21 mRNA expression was observed in the liver analysed by both qPCR (fold change 5.32 ± 5.25 vs. 0.59 ± 0.66; p = 0.017) and RNA-Seq (3.5 fold; FDR: 0.006; p < 0.0001) in MASLD patients vs. controls. Circulating levels of FGF21 were increased in patients with steatohepatitis vs. bland steatosis (386.6 ± 328.9 vs. 297.9 ± 231.5 pg/mL; p = 0.009). Besides, sex, age, A-allele from FGF21, GG genotype from PNPLA3, ALT, type 2 diabetes mellitus and BMI were independently associated with MASH and significant fibrosis in both estimation and validation cohorts. In vitro exposure of Huh7.5 cells to high concentrations of free fatty acids (FFAs) resulted in overexpression of FGF21 (p < 0.001). Finally, Circulating FGF21 levels and hepatic FGF21 expression were found to be significantly increased (p < 0.001) in animals under CDA-HFD.
conclusionsHepatic and circulating FGF21 expression was increased in MASH patients, in Huh7.5 cells under FFAs and in CDA-HFD animals. The A-allele from the rs838133 variant was also associated with an increased risk of steatohepatitis and significant and advanced fibrosis in MASLD patients.
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