Diabetes Metab J.  2014 Aug;38(4):245-251. 10.4093/dmj.2014.38.4.245.

FGF21 as a Stress Hormone: The Roles of FGF21 in Stress Adaptation and the Treatment of Metabolic Diseases

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center and Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. mslee0923@skku.edu

Abstract

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an endocrine hormone that is primarily expressed in the liver and exerts beneficial effects on obesity and related metabolic diseases. In addition to its remarkable pharmacologic actions, the physiological roles of FGF21 include the maintenance of energy homeostasis in the body in conditions of metabolic or environmental stress. The expression of FGF21 is induced in multiple organs in response to diverse physiological or pathological stressors, such as starvation, nutrient excess, autophagy deficiency, mitochondrial stress, exercise, and cold exposure. Thus, the FGF21 induction caused by stress plays an important role in adaptive response to these stimuli. Here, we highlight our current understanding of the functional importance of the induction of FGF21 by diverse stressors as a feedback mechanism that prevents excessive stress.

Keyword

Fibroblast growth factor 21; Insulin resistance; Mitochondria; Obesity; Stress

MeSH Terms

Autophagy
Fibroblast Growth Factors
Homeostasis
Insulin Resistance
Liver
Metabolic Diseases*
Mitochondria
Obesity
Pharmacologic Actions
Starvation
Fibroblast Growth Factors
Pharmacologic Actions

Figure

  • Fig. 1 The functional role of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) induction due to diverse stressors. FGF21 expression is increased in multiple major metabolic organs, including the liver, skeletal muscle, white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue (as illustrated in the middle column of the figure from the above), in response to diverse stressors. Consequently, elevated FGF21 induces various metabolic effects on the major metabolic organs which help adapt to these stressors. mtDNA, mitochondrial DNA.


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